Hold on to your hats, folks, because Canada’s health care system is about to undergo a wild ride. Next year, they’re shaking things up by allowing people with severe mental illnesses to request help with ending their lives. Up until now, this sort of medical assistance has only been available for patients with a physical terminal illness. Now, introducing psychiatric MAID – as it’s known – will definitely raise some ethical questions, especially for the doctors who will help the patients make the decision to take that final step.

But wait, Canada isn’t the first country to grapple with these questions. No, sir! That honour goes to a handful of other countries who have been puzzling over these issues for years. For example, let’s meet Dr. Sisco van Veen, a psychiatrist based in the Netherlands, where psychiatric MAID has been legal since 2002. As a top-notch ethicist and clinician at Amsterdam Medical University, our good doctor here has spent many a sleepless night pondering the tricky ethics of psychiatric MAID. But even after years of study, he’s still stumped by the main question at the heart of his work: when is it a doctor’s responsibility to guide patients to other treatment options, and when should they step back and let nature take its course?

Now, folks, I don’t want to make light of the gravity of mental illness and the devastating impact it can have on a person’s life. But for those who may be in a dark place and are considering taking a drastic step, please know that there is hope. If this is something you’re struggling with, please call or text 988 right away to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Alternatively, you can visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Trust me, life is worth living even when it seems like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.

Serious News: nytimes