Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws

Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws

Author: Susan Stefan

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-02-25

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0199981205

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When should we try to prevent suicide? Should it be facilitated for some people, in some circumstances? For the last forty years, law and policy on suicide have followed two separate and distinct tracks: laws aimed at preventing suicide and, increasingly, laws aimed at facilitating it. In Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws legal scholar Susan Stefan argues that these laws co-exist because they are based on two radically disparate conceptions of the would-be suicide. This is the first book that unifies policies and laws, including constitutional law, criminal law, malpractice law, and civil commitment law, toward people who want to end their lives. Based on the author's expert understanding of mental health and legal systems, analysis of related national and international laws and policy, and surveys and interviews with more than 300 suicide-attempt survivors, doctors, lawyers, and mental health professionals, Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws exposes the counterproductive nature of current policies and laws about suicide. Stefan proposes and defends specific reforms, including increased protection of mental health professionals from liability, increased protection of suicidal people from coercive interventions, reframing medical involvement in assisted suicide, and focusing on approaches to suicidal people that help them rather than assuming suicidality is always a symptom of mental illness. Stefan compares policies and laws in different states in the U.S. and examines the policies and laws of other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including the 2015 legalization of assisted suicide in Canada. The book includes model statutes, seven in-depth studies of people whose cases presented profound ethical, legal, and policy dilemmas, and over a thousand cases interpreting rights and responsibilities relating to suicide, especially in the area of psychiatric malpractice.


Book Synopsis Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws by : Susan Stefan

Download or read book Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws written by Susan Stefan and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-25 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When should we try to prevent suicide? Should it be facilitated for some people, in some circumstances? For the last forty years, law and policy on suicide have followed two separate and distinct tracks: laws aimed at preventing suicide and, increasingly, laws aimed at facilitating it. In Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws legal scholar Susan Stefan argues that these laws co-exist because they are based on two radically disparate conceptions of the would-be suicide. This is the first book that unifies policies and laws, including constitutional law, criminal law, malpractice law, and civil commitment law, toward people who want to end their lives. Based on the author's expert understanding of mental health and legal systems, analysis of related national and international laws and policy, and surveys and interviews with more than 300 suicide-attempt survivors, doctors, lawyers, and mental health professionals, Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws exposes the counterproductive nature of current policies and laws about suicide. Stefan proposes and defends specific reforms, including increased protection of mental health professionals from liability, increased protection of suicidal people from coercive interventions, reframing medical involvement in assisted suicide, and focusing on approaches to suicidal people that help them rather than assuming suicidality is always a symptom of mental illness. Stefan compares policies and laws in different states in the U.S. and examines the policies and laws of other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including the 2015 legalization of assisted suicide in Canada. The book includes model statutes, seven in-depth studies of people whose cases presented profound ethical, legal, and policy dilemmas, and over a thousand cases interpreting rights and responsibilities relating to suicide, especially in the area of psychiatric malpractice.

Rational Suicide in the Elderly

Rational Suicide in the Elderly

Author: Robert E. McCue

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-10-27

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 3319326724

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This book provides a comprehensive view of rational suicide in the elderly, a group that has nearly twice the rate of suicide when chronically ill than any other demographic. Its frame of reference does not endorse a single point-of-view about the legitimacy of rational suicide, which is evolving across societies with little guidance for geriatric mental health professionals. Instead, it serves as a resource for both those clinicians who agree that older people may rationally commit suicide and those who believe that this wish may require further assessment and treatment. The first chapters of the book provides an overview of rational suicide in the elderly, examining it through history and across cultures also addressing the special case of baby boomers. This book takes an ethical and philosophical look at whether suicide can truly be rational and whether the nearness of death in late-life adults means that suicide should be considered differently than in younger adults. Clinical criteria for rational suicide in the elderly are proposed in this book for the first time, as well as a guidelines for the psychosocial profile of an older adult who wants to commit rational suicide. Unlike any other book, this text examines the existential, psychological, and psychodynamic perspectives. A chapter on terminal mental illness and a consideration of suicide in that context and proposed interventions even without a diagnosable mental illness also plays a vital role in this book as these are key issues in within the question of suicide among the elderly. This book is the first to consider all preventative measures, including the spiritual as well as the psychotherapeutic, and pharmacologic. A commentary on modern society, aging, and rational suicide that ties all of these elements together, making this the ultimate guide for addressing suicide among the elderly. Rational Suicide in the Elderly is an excellent resource for all medical professionals with potentially suicidal patients, including geriatricians, geriatric and general psychiatrists, geriatric nurses, social workers, and public health officials.


Book Synopsis Rational Suicide in the Elderly by : Robert E. McCue

Download or read book Rational Suicide in the Elderly written by Robert E. McCue and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-27 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive view of rational suicide in the elderly, a group that has nearly twice the rate of suicide when chronically ill than any other demographic. Its frame of reference does not endorse a single point-of-view about the legitimacy of rational suicide, which is evolving across societies with little guidance for geriatric mental health professionals. Instead, it serves as a resource for both those clinicians who agree that older people may rationally commit suicide and those who believe that this wish may require further assessment and treatment. The first chapters of the book provides an overview of rational suicide in the elderly, examining it through history and across cultures also addressing the special case of baby boomers. This book takes an ethical and philosophical look at whether suicide can truly be rational and whether the nearness of death in late-life adults means that suicide should be considered differently than in younger adults. Clinical criteria for rational suicide in the elderly are proposed in this book for the first time, as well as a guidelines for the psychosocial profile of an older adult who wants to commit rational suicide. Unlike any other book, this text examines the existential, psychological, and psychodynamic perspectives. A chapter on terminal mental illness and a consideration of suicide in that context and proposed interventions even without a diagnosable mental illness also plays a vital role in this book as these are key issues in within the question of suicide among the elderly. This book is the first to consider all preventative measures, including the spiritual as well as the psychotherapeutic, and pharmacologic. A commentary on modern society, aging, and rational suicide that ties all of these elements together, making this the ultimate guide for addressing suicide among the elderly. Rational Suicide in the Elderly is an excellent resource for all medical professionals with potentially suicidal patients, including geriatricians, geriatric and general psychiatrists, geriatric nurses, social workers, and public health officials.

Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide

Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide

Author: James L. Werth

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1134872062

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This text brings together spokespersons from several different disciplines who can present their arguments for or against rational suicide as a viable concept and, consequently, a realistic option. The pros and cons of the discussion format bring the readers to search for their beliefs, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection of the concept is left to each individual reader.


Book Synopsis Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide by : James L. Werth

Download or read book Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide written by James L. Werth and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text brings together spokespersons from several different disciplines who can present their arguments for or against rational suicide as a viable concept and, consequently, a realistic option. The pros and cons of the discussion format bring the readers to search for their beliefs, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection of the concept is left to each individual reader.

Rational Suicide?

Rational Suicide?

Author: James L. Werth Jr.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-02-04

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1317763424

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The idea that suicide may be an acceptable, rational option is rarely presented in professional literature. However, recent events and developments forcefully demonstrate that mental health professionals can no longer ignore the possibility that people can make a rational decision to die. After introducing the concept of rational suicide, the book explores the changing views of suicide over the centuries. Common arguments against rational suicide are examined and rebutted.


Book Synopsis Rational Suicide? by : James L. Werth Jr.

Download or read book Rational Suicide? written by James L. Werth Jr. and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea that suicide may be an acceptable, rational option is rarely presented in professional literature. However, recent events and developments forcefully demonstrate that mental health professionals can no longer ignore the possibility that people can make a rational decision to die. After introducing the concept of rational suicide, the book explores the changing views of suicide over the centuries. Common arguments against rational suicide are examined and rebutted.

Rational Suicide?

Rational Suicide?

Author: James L. Werth Jr.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-02-04

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1317763432

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The idea that suicide may be an acceptable, rational option is rarely presented in professional literature. However, recent events and developments forcefully demonstrate that mental health professionals can no longer ignore the possibility that people can make a rational decision to die. After introducing the concept of rational suicide, the book explores the changing views of suicide over the centuries. Common arguments against rational suicide are examined and rebutted.


Book Synopsis Rational Suicide? by : James L. Werth Jr.

Download or read book Rational Suicide? written by James L. Werth Jr. and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea that suicide may be an acceptable, rational option is rarely presented in professional literature. However, recent events and developments forcefully demonstrate that mental health professionals can no longer ignore the possibility that people can make a rational decision to die. After introducing the concept of rational suicide, the book explores the changing views of suicide over the centuries. Common arguments against rational suicide are examined and rebutted.

Rational Suicide

Rational Suicide

Author: David Lester

Publisher: Nova Science Publishers

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781629486666

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It is slowly becoming accepted that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering physically and mentally from the illness have the moral and legal right to choose suicide and, in some jurisdictions, they have the ability to obtain assistance from others in accomplishing their suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and other regions of the USA and in some countries such as Switzerland. However, the presence of a psychiatric disorder in the individual usually makes it illegal for a physician to assist individuals (by prescribing a lethal dose of medication) in dying by suicide. What if the person does not have a terminal illness? Does this mean that their choice of suicide cannot be a rational decision? What if the person can be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder? Does their psychiatric disorder eliminate the possibility of rational thought? Typically, today, the answer to both of these questions is "Yes." In this book, David Lester, a renowned scholar in the field of suicide, argues that the answer to both questions should be "No." In August 2013, Martin Manley chose to die by suicide and left a website in which he had written his thoughts for the previous year and a half. Lester analyzes Manley's writing, and relevant psychological research, to argue that Manley's decision was the result of rational thinking despite the fact that Manley did not have a terminal illness. The book also examines the notion that people with a psychiatric disorder cannot think rationally or make rational decisions. Lester first criticizes psychiatry for being scientifically unsound and then presents evidence that those labeled by psychiatrists as having a mental illness can make rational decisions. Lester also presents the case of Jo Roman who was suffering from terminal cancer, who refused further treatment and arranged to die by suicide supported by her husband and large circle of friends. Lester concludes that deaths by suicide may be rational more often than we commonly believe and that these deaths may be appropriate ways of dying. -- Provided by publisher.


Book Synopsis Rational Suicide by : David Lester

Download or read book Rational Suicide written by David Lester and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is slowly becoming accepted that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering physically and mentally from the illness have the moral and legal right to choose suicide and, in some jurisdictions, they have the ability to obtain assistance from others in accomplishing their suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and other regions of the USA and in some countries such as Switzerland. However, the presence of a psychiatric disorder in the individual usually makes it illegal for a physician to assist individuals (by prescribing a lethal dose of medication) in dying by suicide. What if the person does not have a terminal illness? Does this mean that their choice of suicide cannot be a rational decision? What if the person can be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder? Does their psychiatric disorder eliminate the possibility of rational thought? Typically, today, the answer to both of these questions is "Yes." In this book, David Lester, a renowned scholar in the field of suicide, argues that the answer to both questions should be "No." In August 2013, Martin Manley chose to die by suicide and left a website in which he had written his thoughts for the previous year and a half. Lester analyzes Manley's writing, and relevant psychological research, to argue that Manley's decision was the result of rational thinking despite the fact that Manley did not have a terminal illness. The book also examines the notion that people with a psychiatric disorder cannot think rationally or make rational decisions. Lester first criticizes psychiatry for being scientifically unsound and then presents evidence that those labeled by psychiatrists as having a mental illness can make rational decisions. Lester also presents the case of Jo Roman who was suffering from terminal cancer, who refused further treatment and arranged to die by suicide supported by her husband and large circle of friends. Lester concludes that deaths by suicide may be rational more often than we commonly believe and that these deaths may be appropriate ways of dying. -- Provided by publisher.

Self-determined Dying

Self-determined Dying

Author: Jessica Duber

Publisher:

Published: 2019-11-28

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 9781712789155

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This guideline provides all the information needed for self - determined dying by helium resp. noble gases. In addition to basic information, there are tips on obtaining all the items needed (a "buyers guide" is included) and detailed information about the technical construction will be given. It is an updated and expanded edition of the chapter "Helium" of the 2017 published manual "Self-determined Dying - Manual for a Rational Suicide" by J. Dueber


Book Synopsis Self-determined Dying by : Jessica Duber

Download or read book Self-determined Dying written by Jessica Duber and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-28 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guideline provides all the information needed for self - determined dying by helium resp. noble gases. In addition to basic information, there are tips on obtaining all the items needed (a "buyers guide" is included) and detailed information about the technical construction will be given. It is an updated and expanded edition of the chapter "Helium" of the 2017 published manual "Self-determined Dying - Manual for a Rational Suicide" by J. Dueber

Suicide

Suicide

Author: Michael Cholbi

Publisher: Broadview Press

Published: 2011-08-26

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1770482849

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Suicide was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2012! Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions is a provocative and comprehensive investigation of the main philosophical issues surrounding suicide. Readers will encounter seminal arguments concerning the nature of suicide and its moral permissibility, the duty to die, the rationality of suicide, and the ethics of suicide intervention. Intended both for students and for seasoned scholars, this book sheds much-needed philosophical light on one of the most puzzling and enigmatic human behaviors.


Book Synopsis Suicide by : Michael Cholbi

Download or read book Suicide written by Michael Cholbi and published by Broadview Press. This book was released on 2011-08-26 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suicide was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2012! Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions is a provocative and comprehensive investigation of the main philosophical issues surrounding suicide. Readers will encounter seminal arguments concerning the nature of suicide and its moral permissibility, the duty to die, the rationality of suicide, and the ethics of suicide intervention. Intended both for students and for seasoned scholars, this book sheds much-needed philosophical light on one of the most puzzling and enigmatic human behaviors.

The Last Choice

The Last Choice

Author: C. G. Prado

Publisher: Greenwood

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13:

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The aim of this book is to establish the rationality of electing to commit suicide in order to avoid the degeneration that can occur in advanced age, especially when one is suffering from a terminal disease. As well as discussing the philosophical questions the book offers some practical advice.


Book Synopsis The Last Choice by : C. G. Prado

Download or read book The Last Choice written by C. G. Prado and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 1990 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this book is to establish the rationality of electing to commit suicide in order to avoid the degeneration that can occur in advanced age, especially when one is suffering from a terminal disease. As well as discussing the philosophical questions the book offers some practical advice.

Breaking the Thread of Life

Breaking the Thread of Life

Author: Robert Barry

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-28

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1351530798

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Suicide, and how civilized people should respond to it, is an increasingly controversial topic in modern society. In Holland, suicide is the third leading cause of death of people between the ages of fifteen and forty. In the United States, it is the second leading cause of death among older teenagers. Laws prohibiting assisted suicide are being directly and boldly confronted by activists in the United States, most notably Jack Kevorkian. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has publicly declared suicide a fundamental human right that should be protected under the Constitution. The Hemlock Society has introduced referenda in California, Washington, and Oregon to legalize suicide and assisted suicide. The most vocal opposition to these initiatives has come from the Roman Catholic church.Breaking the Thread of Life marshalls philosophical, moral, medical, historical, and theological arguments in support of the Roman Catholic position against suicide. In a comprehensive study of the history of suicide, Barry shows that Christian civilization was one of only a few early societies that was able to bring suicide under control. He counters claims that Catholicism and the Bible endorse rational suicide. Barry also analyzes arguments in support of the rationality of suicide and illuminates their biases, inadequacies, and dangers.Barry presents the rationale for the Roman Catholic church's strong, extensive, and articulate opposition to efforts to gain legal and social endorsement of suicide and assisted suicide. His book represents the most complete study of the classical Roman Catholic view of rational suicide to date, and it will be of significant interest to philosophers, theologians, physicians, and lawyers.


Book Synopsis Breaking the Thread of Life by : Robert Barry

Download or read book Breaking the Thread of Life written by Robert Barry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suicide, and how civilized people should respond to it, is an increasingly controversial topic in modern society. In Holland, suicide is the third leading cause of death of people between the ages of fifteen and forty. In the United States, it is the second leading cause of death among older teenagers. Laws prohibiting assisted suicide are being directly and boldly confronted by activists in the United States, most notably Jack Kevorkian. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has publicly declared suicide a fundamental human right that should be protected under the Constitution. The Hemlock Society has introduced referenda in California, Washington, and Oregon to legalize suicide and assisted suicide. The most vocal opposition to these initiatives has come from the Roman Catholic church.Breaking the Thread of Life marshalls philosophical, moral, medical, historical, and theological arguments in support of the Roman Catholic position against suicide. In a comprehensive study of the history of suicide, Barry shows that Christian civilization was one of only a few early societies that was able to bring suicide under control. He counters claims that Catholicism and the Bible endorse rational suicide. Barry also analyzes arguments in support of the rationality of suicide and illuminates their biases, inadequacies, and dangers.Barry presents the rationale for the Roman Catholic church's strong, extensive, and articulate opposition to efforts to gain legal and social endorsement of suicide and assisted suicide. His book represents the most complete study of the classical Roman Catholic view of rational suicide to date, and it will be of significant interest to philosophers, theologians, physicians, and lawyers.