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Assisted Suicides in Oregon May Be Overlooking Depression

Posted on October 08, 2008

The British Medical Journal today published a new study that suggests that physicians and other healthcare workers in Oregon are doing a horrible job in recognizing and formally assessing mental health issues in people who ask for help under Oregon s assisted suicide law. The law requires that physicians and healthcare workers assess for mental health concerns and make referrals when necessary. In 2007, 46 people died from assisted suicide in Oregon. The number of these people referred for a mental health evaluation? Zero. In the study, researchers examined the cases of 58 people who had ei...

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anxiety , depression , mental health