[Netherlands] Requests for medical assistance in dying by young Dutch people with psychiatric disorders

[Netherlands] Requests for medical assistance in dying by young Dutch people with psychiatric disorders
JAMA Psychiatry; by Lizanne J.S. Schweren, Sanne P.A. Rasing, Monique Kammeraat, Leah A. Middelkoop, Ruthie Werner, Saskia Y.M. Mérelle, Julian M. Garcia, Daan H.M. Creemers, Sisco M.P. van Veen; 1/25
This cohort study found that the number of young psychiatric patients in the Netherlands who requested MAID-PS [medical assistance in dying based on psychiatric suffering] increased between 2012 and 2021 and that applications were retracted or rejected for most. Those who died by MAID or suicide were mostly female and had long treatment histories and prominent suicidality. These findings suggest that there is an urgent need for more knowledge about persistent death wishes and effective suicide prevention strategies for this high-risk group.