Perhaps we require a new kind of medical specialist for this, one who's not only going to administer the injection but first lead the patient through a series of decision-making steps. It's not only people who are currently in physical pain who will want to make this choice but also people who are in psychological pain as well as people who see the end coming and want to make the choice while they are still competent to do so. So there needs to be some checks built into the system. What other treatments for psychological pain has the patient previously tried? If they fear that they're at the start of the onset of dementia, what symptoms are they looking at that tell them that? Do they need a bit more time to connect/communicate with family members or to get their affairs in order? Like many other serious life decisions, this one has to be undertaken carefully.
Perhaps we require a new kind of medical specialist for this, one who's not only going to administer the injection but first lead the patient through a series of decision-making steps. It's not only people who are currently in physical pain who will want to make this choice but also people who are in psychological pain as well as people who see the end coming and want to make the choice while they are still competent to do so. So there needs to be some checks built into the system. What other treatments for psychological pain has the patient previously tried? If they fear that they're at the start of the onset of dementia, what symptoms are they looking at that tell them that? Do they need a bit more time to connect/communicate with family members or to get their affairs in order? Like many other serious life decisions, this one has to be undertaken carefully.