Interview w/ Prof Patricia Casey - Dying with Dignity" bill
28.01.2021
In this interview Paddy speaks to Prof Patricia Casey, Consultant Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry about the so called "Dying with Dignity" bill.
She outlines that the bill does not allow for any psychiatric evaluation of a person. Prof Casey tells us that we know people with serious physical illnesses can become depressed and a certain number of them can become suicidal but such cases can be treatable with medication and psychological interventions. There is no mention whatsoever of this in the bill and no mention of evaluation by an expert in evaluating suicidality either. No mention of psychiatric help and no mention of a psychiatrist in the bill.
Proff casey outlines there are much studies where many people with serious physical issnesses are suicidal but in many cases this stems from being overwhelmed with depression so we need to be able to know that a person is not seeking a suicide based on a treatable psychiatric condition ie. depression. There is no provision for this in the bill either.
Prof Casey also talks about how harmful it is to legalise assisted suicide when we are trying to combat so much suicide already in Ireland.