Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39108029›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2024

Perspectives on physician-assisted suicide in mental healthcare: results of a survey of physicians and medical students.

Rebecca Reichel, Sophia Helen Adam, Hans-Jörg Ehni, Florian Junne, Anne Herrmann-Werner, Andreas J Fallgatter, Stephan Zipfel, Rebecca Erschens

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Article in BJPsych open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. BJPsych open · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Rebecca ReichelDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8845-5924
Sophia Helen AdamDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4824-8163
Hans-Jörg EhniInstitute of Ethics and History of Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5900-2228
Florian JunneDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, University Hospital Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; and German Center for Mental Health, Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3925-6949
Anne Herrmann-WernerTuebingen Institute for Medical Education, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; and German Center for Mental Health, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2413-7047
Andreas J FallgatterDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; and German Center for Mental Health, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7713-4259
Stephan ZipfelDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; and German Center for Mental Health, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1659-4440
Rebecca ErschensDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4433-9378

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysician-assisted suicide (PAS) is typically associated with serious physical illnesses that are prevalent in palliative care. However, individuals with mental illnesses may also experience such severity that life becomes intolerable. In February 2020, the previous German law prohibiting PAS was repealed. Patients with severe mental illnesses are increasingly likely to approach physicians with requests for PAS.

aimsTo explore the ethical and moral perspectives of medical students and physicians when making individual decisions regarding PAS.

methodAn anonymised digital survey was conducted among medical students and physicians in Germany. Participants were presented with a case vignette of a chronically depressed patient requesting PAS. Participants decided on PAS provision and assessed theoretical arguments. We employed generalised ordinal regression and qualitative analysis for data interpretation.

resultsA total of

conclusionsParticipants displayed relatively low willingness to consider PAS in the case of a chronically depressed patient. This study highlights the substantial influence of theoretical medical-ethical arguments and the broader public discourse, underscoring the necessity of an ethical discussion on PAS for mental illnesses.

Indexed as

Depressive disordersethical perspectivemedical professionmedical surveyphysician-assisted suicide

Identifiers

PMID39108029
PMCPMC11698214

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.