Thursday, October 25, 2012

Elder Abuse: our most appalling crime

by Paul Russell | Careful! A MercatorNet focus blog on euthanasia



"Older people tend to be more vulnerable because of their age. They feel more pressures, especially from a family member. They often feel guilt and sense of obligation which is then played on,'' she said. "They are more prone to social isolation [and] often their limited social contact might be with someone who is putting them under pressure.'' ~Sue Leitch, Council on Aging Tasmania Full story

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Study: Assisted Suicide Assisters Distressed

http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/study-assisted-suicide-helpers-distressed.shtml?32735

Thursday, October 4, 2012

One in four people who accompany someone to commit assisted suicide suffer massive psychological distress, according to a new study by the University of Zurich.

Researchers at the university spoke to 85 people who went with a family member or close friend to an EXIT euthanasia clinic.

A quarter suffered from post traumatic stress disorder while 16 percent had depression. Five percent were found to have long-term grief.

The interviews were carried out one to two years after the assisted death of loved ones.

The results state that problems can surface 14 to 24 months later and that a death not from natural causes was a heavy burden for those who supported the deceased.

Although the research didn’t include a direct comparison with the effects of a natural death on a loved one, the study was compared to others.

This showed the researchers that post traumatic stress disorder was more common for people close to an assisted suicide case rather than a natural death.

The results have been published in the October issue of the journal European Psychiatry.


To view original article, go here:  http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/family-members-traumatized-eur-psych-2012.pdf