Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations

Access to assisted dying (variously called assisted suicide, euthanasia, and medical aid/assistance in dying) is increasingly available in many countries around the world. Individual suffering in the present and fears for the future, feature prominently in the request for assisted dying, which then...

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Main Authors: Mark Goldblatt, Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart, Sylvie Lapierre, Margda Waern, Reinhard Lindner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Public Health
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1589426/full
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author Mark Goldblatt
Mark Goldblatt
Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart
Sylvie Lapierre
Sylvie Lapierre
Margda Waern
Margda Waern
Reinhard Lindner
author_facet Mark Goldblatt
Mark Goldblatt
Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart
Sylvie Lapierre
Sylvie Lapierre
Margda Waern
Margda Waern
Reinhard Lindner
author_sort Mark Goldblatt
collection DOAJ
description Access to assisted dying (variously called assisted suicide, euthanasia, and medical aid/assistance in dying) is increasingly available in many countries around the world. Individual suffering in the present and fears for the future, feature prominently in the request for assisted dying, which then affects many people beyond the identified individual, including family and loved ones, the clinical team associated with the dying process and societies. We consider expanding waves of distress, beginning with the subjective intrapsychic suffering of the individual requesting assistance in dying, the interpersonal effect on survivors, and the complex responses in those facing requests for assisted death. The autonomous rights of the individual to the alleviation of suffering are balanced by efforts toward suicide prevention, which are impacted when there are limited options to alleviate the psychosocial and existential suffering of those who express the wish to die.
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spelling doaj-art-49a2eee9ee5641d79270fbc343dedcc02025-08-20T02:21:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-06-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15894261589426Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislationsMark Goldblatt0Mark Goldblatt1Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart2Sylvie Lapierre3Sylvie Lapierre4Margda Waern5Margda Waern6Reinhard Lindner7Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, United StatesMass General Brigham, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesHES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, School of Social Work, Fribourg, SwitzerlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Quebec, Trois-Rivières, QC, CanadaCenter for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End-of-Life Practices (CRISE), Montreal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Psychotic Disorders, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Gothenburg, SwedenUniversity of Kassel, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Social Work, Kassel, GermanyAccess to assisted dying (variously called assisted suicide, euthanasia, and medical aid/assistance in dying) is increasingly available in many countries around the world. Individual suffering in the present and fears for the future, feature prominently in the request for assisted dying, which then affects many people beyond the identified individual, including family and loved ones, the clinical team associated with the dying process and societies. We consider expanding waves of distress, beginning with the subjective intrapsychic suffering of the individual requesting assistance in dying, the interpersonal effect on survivors, and the complex responses in those facing requests for assisted death. The autonomous rights of the individual to the alleviation of suffering are balanced by efforts toward suicide prevention, which are impacted when there are limited options to alleviate the psychosocial and existential suffering of those who express the wish to die.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1589426/fullassisted dyingsuicideassisted suicidemedical aid in dyingsuffering
spellingShingle Mark Goldblatt
Mark Goldblatt
Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart
Sylvie Lapierre
Sylvie Lapierre
Margda Waern
Margda Waern
Reinhard Lindner
Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
Frontiers in Public Health
assisted dying
suicide
assisted suicide
medical aid in dying
suffering
title Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
title_full Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
title_fullStr Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
title_full_unstemmed Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
title_short Exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
title_sort exploring multiple levels of suffering and suicide prevention in an era of emerging national legislations
topic assisted dying
suicide
assisted suicide
medical aid in dying
suffering
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1589426/full
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