online event
The International Association on Assisted Dying and Mental Disorders (IAADM) is dedicated to fostering global collaboration in education, research, and clinical care on medical assistance in dying (MAID) for individuals with mental disorders. IAADM was founded as within a mental health setting, persons requesting for MAID should be treated with utmost seriousness by their (mental) health professionals. Regardless of the eventual outcome of the MAID trajectory and the legal landscape, an open discussion is greatly valued by these persons. MAID should be seamlessly incorporated into the continuum of end-of-life care for those grappling with psychiatric disorders. By encouraging multidisciplinary dialogue, IAADM supports clinical, ethical, legal, and societal discussions and hosts four annual network meetings for its members. Not a member yet? No problem, this first meeting is open to everyone!
As the IAADM executive board, we are pleased to invite you to our first online network meeting on March 21st, 2025 at 9:00 CET. Check out the program below and save the date – we look forward to your participation!
If you are interested but are unable to attend, the whole session will be recorded and made available for everyone who signs up! If you know anyone who might be interested, feel free to share this email.
Sign up by sending an email to info@iaadm.org to receive the link.
The executive board of IAADM Radboud Marijnissen, Kenneth Chambaere, Richard Oude Voshaar
Program
9:00 - 9:30 INTRODUCTION ON IAADM, ITS FOUR CORE PILLARS, ITS VISION AND ACTIVITIES
Presenter: Radboud Marijnissen
9:30 - 10:00 CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR EUTHANASIA IN DEMENTIA Presenter: Arne van den Bosch PMID: 39431749
Abstract: The number of patients with dementia receiving euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) in the Netherlands has been steadily increasing. However, assessing decisional capacity in this context is particularly challenging due to the progressive cognitive decline inherent to dementia. This study aimed to explore qualitatively the factors influencing the judgment of decisional capacity in EAS cases involving dementia. Through an analysis of 60 EAS case summaries published by the Dutch regional euthanasia review committees (2012–2021), we identified six key factors—such as communication level, psychiatric comorbidity, and the presence of an advance directive—that significantly shaped the evaluation of decisional capacity. 10:00 -
10:30 REQUESTS FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING BY YOUNG DUTCH PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Presenter: Lizanne Schweren PMID: 39745777
Abstract: In the Netherlands, a growing group of young people request medical assistance in dying based on psychiatric suffering (MAID-PS). Little is known about this group, their characteristics, and outcomes. In a retrospective cohort study, we investigated N=397 applications by Dutch individuals younger than 24 years, requesting MAID-PS between January 1, 2012, and June 30, 2021. We assessed the proportion of requests for and deaths by MAID-PS among young patients, outcomes of their application and assessment procedures, and characteristics of those patients who died by either MAID or suicide. We found that 47% of applications were retracted and 45% were rejected. For 3% of applications, patients died by MAID, and for 4%, the patient died by suicide during the application process. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for more knowledge about persistent death wishes and effective suicide prevention strategies for this group.
