Assisted Suicide Case Study

- Confirmed with 3rd party what needs to be included in the email and foreshadowed when they will receive it.

The patient is a 10 year old male who presented to the ED with multiple lacerations on his left hand. The patient denies suicidal ideations, homicidal ideations, and symptoms of psychosis. The patient states, " I don't know why I cut myself." Later on, the patient denies threats towards other students and admits he cut himself because it felt good.

Advances in medical treatments have raised the average life expectancy of people in Canada. However, it fails to guarantee a perfectly healthy life for people who experience incurable diseases. The rising interest in Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada, is an outcome of the desire of people to have a greater control over their lives in terms of their capacity to determine death when the patients are terminally ill.

CPS received CPS referral #0677-3482-7506-1042519 regarding minor Natalie Thompson (DOB: 10/22/01). On 4/7/17, minor threatened to kill herself by jumping in front of a train because she was upset over what happened in her new placement at the group home. Minor stated that she no longer wanted to live and did not want to return to group home. Minor stated that she expressed to staff that she wanted to be left alone, but staff disregarded her request and held her. Two female staff held her back so she proceeded to strike them. During the restrain, staff grabbed minor by her arms, legs and shirt. One of the staff members (unknown) pulled her hair and held her tight so during the restraint causing the minor to sustain multiple bruises on her body.

Pt is a 12 y/o African American female presented at NNBHC with dx of ADHD combine type, ODD, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation D/O, Mood D/O, PTSD and Sexual Abuse (victim/ perpetrator), who have been feeling severely depressed and SI. Pt states that she has had SI with a plan to overdose or cut her wrist. Pt is considered high risk due her unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide on 7/5/2015 by taking a handful (unknown quantity) of Clonidine. She was hospitalized at CHKD until she was medially stable, than transferred to Maryview for mental stabilization. Pt states that she is unable to contract for safety at this time, and unsure of what she may do due to her impulsivity. Pt has also have been currently distributing nude pictures to adult males via cell phone. Virginia Beach Police Department is involved with the solicition of child pornography per report from pt mother. Pt have been using explicit communication of sexual acts via text message with males and females. Since 7/5/15 there have been a change in medication Vyvanse 70mg to 30mg. Pt have a hx of becoming verbally aggressive towards hospital staff when medications change. Pt denies any psychosis or paranoid thinking.

The thing that kept Steven going was the thought that Jeffrey having cancer was going to be a mistake. During Jeffrey’s stay at the Philadelphia Children's hospital Steven was kept unnotified of how Jeffrey was doing. Apart of that he was getting no attention whatsoever from either of his parents. Steven felt forgotten and this brought anger. Through journals from Miss Palma’s class he wrote about how nobody had thought about how he was feeling about this situation. However when Jeffrey and his mother returned from Philadelphia Steven learned that the thoughts he had was wrong.

A. There is no fundamental liberty that promotes the idea of a legal right to die.

After asking about any nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea L.J.H stated, “At this moment I do not have any problems with nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea, but when I first arrived at the hospital I did feel sick which lead to me vomiting. I think it was because of my abdominal pain.” When asked what L.G.H’s typical diet would be she stated, “In the morning I will usually have eggs, toast and milk with some hot water. For lunch I usually eat leftovers from the night before or just make myself and sandwich. I don’t really each a lot of snacks. For dinner I usually have something with protein or starch with a side of veggies. I am usually good at eating what is okay for me. I have a lot of allergies so I don’t like to change up what I eat a lot.” After asking about alcohol or caffeine use L.J.H stated, “I never drank alcohol and I avoid caffeine.” When asked about the use of stool softeners at home L.J.H stated, “No I do not use stool softeners.”

The Canadian justice system is supposed to be neutral, fair, objective, and impartial. However, we can see that this is not the reality but rather often times it can be oppressive, constraining, and enforces discriminatory legislation or policies that directly or indirectly works to target certain groups of people. This is especially evident when we look at the criminal laws which criminalize non-able-bodied and terminally ill individuals, who seek out assistance in dying because they feel that their life is no longer worth living, and as a result takes away their dignity and right to autonomy. The decriminalization of physician-assisted suicide is fundamental in order to achieve and maintain the equality, autonomy, and dignity of all individuals.

First of all, terminally ill patients have the right to decide what happens with their life. Of recent suicide and attempted suicide have been their bodies are shutting down. Their organs stop working and they cant do everyday actitities without seviere pain. According to the federal constitution, every citizen is entitled to life liberty are the persuit of happieness. Due to court case Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, the Supreme Court established that the due process clause protects a patient's liberty to refuse medical treatment. According to that statement, this means a patient can refuse medical attention and ultimately die (Is There a Constitutional..). Not alowing a patient this right would be unconstitutional. What

This case study discusses the moral problems associated with physician-assisted suicide. The Catholic Church is apposed to such euthanasia because it transgresses God's commandment not to kill innocent life, it usurps God's sovereignty over human lives, and it violates obligations to serve others and the common good (Pg. 318). I can understand why the Catholic Church would be apposed to physician-assissted suicide, however I do not take this position. I support Oregon's Death with Dignity Act. Statistics show only a very small percent of patients, 0.132 percent, chose to end their life with euthanasia under this law between 1998 and 2010. Although Christians view such a suicide equally as wrong as murder, these beliefs are not shared by all

People who reach the requirements of the death with dignity laws, should have the right to end their own life quickly. Right now, only six states have legalized PAS (Physician-Assisted Suicide). The other 44 states are holding back the right for people with terminal illness, or people suffering from pain to die peacefully. Not giving a legal pathway for people to die, can lead to patients into committing suicide which is a more stressful way for their family. People should have the right to end their lives if they are in pain.

An elderly Toronto man, of the age of 81, has died just 24 hours after a court affirmed his appeal to doctor assisted suicide. A.B. was a husband and grandfather who had been suffering from the advanced propelling stages of terminal lymphoma and was diagnosed in 2012. A.B. was bed-ridden and intolerable pain, despite being prescribed pain killers and other narcotics. A.B. appealed to the Supreme Court three months prior to his death, to fight for what he deemed to be right so fundamentally. To have the right to decide when one can no longer preserve through the torment of a disease and to be helped to death by a doctor, keeping in mind the end goal to go with tranquility and dignity. He was granted permission on Thursday, March 17,2016 from

Patient presented to the ED via EMS after a attempted suicide by driving his car into a tree. Patient reports braking up with his girlfriend a month ago and experiencing depressive symptoms. He reports that his girlfriend and him had a 7 year relationship, which he shared a with a 6 year old daughter from the relationship. Patient expresses that in the past he has been verbal aggressive towards her and she has recently moved into er mothers home. The patient reports since her leaving he has been having suicidal thought. He reports that he never attempted suicide, however has had a history of depression and a verbally abusive father. The patient express a poor appetite, sleep, and loss in usual pleasure, which is praying for change in his relationship.

The patient still has suicidal thought, he remains depressed, isolative and withdrawn, still insisting that he cannot anymore cope with so many problems in his life. He still planning to jump off the bridge to end his sufferings in life. He still have disorganized thought , still cannot contract for personal safety and still cannot think the consequences of his action. He still has poor insight and judgment in thinking that attempt. He still expresses the feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness. He remains a danger to self. He still needs an inpatient psychiatric hospital level of