Assisted dying could impact suicide prevention efforts, psychiatrists warn

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By Emma Wilkinson

Leading psychiatrists have warned that the assisted dying bill could impact efforts to prevent suicide.

In a submission to MPs, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said suicide prevention remains a duty when someone is terminally ill as it would for all people.

Thoughts of suicide at end of life can be a symptom of mental disorder and distress and can change - often with treatment - the written evidence from the Royal College of Psychiatrists submitted to the MPs committee debating the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, said.

“People at end of life deserve high quality psychiatric treatment,” the college said adding that a wish to hasten death is “strongly associated with depression” but access to this is limited.

“Until the provision of such care is improved, it is difficult to see how a person could be determined to be making a choice between options on [assisted dying],” it continued.