Citing a need to develop guidelines, standards, and training, psychiatrists are urging the Canadian government to delay the rollout of its Medical Assistance in Dying program to the "incurable" mentally ill, scheduled to begin in March.
Delay assisted dying for people with mental disorders: psychiatrist association | National Post - Camille Bains, Canadian Press:
December 1, 2022 - "Canada is not ready to expand medical assistance in dying for people with a mental disorder, leaving psychiatrists across the country 'incredibly concerned' about patients needing better access to care, including for addiction services, says a group representing the specialists across the country. The Association of Chairs of Psychiatry in Canada, which includes heads of psychiatry departments at all 17 medical schools, issued a statement Thursday calling for a pause to the change set to be implemented in mid-March.
"Lack of public education on suicide prevention as well as an agreed-upon definition of irremediability, or at what point someone will not be able to recover, are also important, unresolved issues, the statement says.
“'As a collective organization, we recognize that a lot of work is being done in Canada on this issue,' Dr. Valerie Taylor, who heads the group, said in the statement. 'Further time is required to increase awareness of this change and establish guidelines and standards to which clinicians, patients and the public can turn to for more education and information,' said Taylor, who is also chair of the psychiatry department at the University of Calgary.
"A statement from the office of federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says Canada is committed to implementing MAID for those with a mental disorder by keeping their safety and security at the forefront.... The office did not say whether the implementation expected on March 17 would be delayed.
"Dr. Jitender Sareen, head of the psychiatry department at the University of Manitoba, said many controversial issues were discussed at the group’s annual meeting in October regarding which patients with a mental disorder could be eligible for MAID, seven years after the practice was legalized in Canada for those with a physical ailment. 'If a person wants MAID solely for mental health conditions, we don’t have the clear standards around definitions of who’s eligible. How many assessments and what kinds of assessment would they actually need?' he said. Sareen also called for training for health providers doing the assessments to begin sooner than its expected rollout next fall....
“'We’re in the middle of an opioid epidemic. And we’re in the middle of a mental health pandemic. Post-COVID, wait times for access to treatment are the highest ever,' he said. 'As a group of department heads in the country who are responsible for medical education both for psychiatrists and residents, we’re saying, "Look, let’s put things aside as far as whether we agree with this law change or not.’ We’re just concerned we’re not ready for March.”'....
"The federal parliamentary committee reviewing the law to expand MAID to those with a mental disorder issued an interim report in June and expected to publish a final report in October. However, it has been delayed until February. The final report of an expert panel was released in May with 19 recommendations, including training for doctors and nurse practitioners assessing MAID requests to address topics like the impact of race, socioeconomic status and cultural sensitivity."
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