All Medical Assistance in Dying laws include “Irremediability” as one of the primary eligibility criteria. What statement is true with respect to “irremediability” as applied to major depressive disorder (MDD)?
While it is challenging to define irremediable psychiatric suffering in the context of MAID requests, experienced psychiatrists generally assess the number of failed treatments (including ones with the most likelihood of efficacy vs depression, e.g. ECT). Challenges include assessing the quality of past treatments (e.g. psychotherapy) and managing ‘treatment fatigue’ and treatment refusal.
Publication reference : Van Veen S, Ruissen AM et al. Irremediable psychiatric suffering in the context of medical assistance in dying: a qualitative study. CMAJ 2022; 194: E485-E491. Reference URL:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35273025/