Mental Health Referrals in Physician Aid in Dying Laws
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65539/de2zp755Keywords:
physician aid in dying, death with dignity, mental health, end-of-life care, medical ethics, health policyAbstract
This review examines the provisions related to mental health referrals in physician aid in dying (PAD) statutes across U.S. jurisdictions. The authors analyze the varying statutory language regarding when and how mental health professionals should be involved in evaluating patients requesting PAD medication. The article proposes standardizing the statutory language and recommends adding guidance for early, continuous supportive counseling for qualified terminally ill patients, rather than focusing solely on eligibility determination.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Raquel Atencio, Matthew Deblinger (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
