this post was submitted on 16 May 2024
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[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I don't really see why you say you'd make an "exception" for strong and lasting physical pain (which by the way are of course the vast majority of assisted suicide cases), but not for mental health reasons. In this case multiple doctors concluded that the patient is unlikely to improve, and no progress has been made in over 10 years of therapy.

especially if solutions aren't limited to the individual level.

What do you mean by "not limited to the individual level"?

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

What I mean by that is that there are some problems that affect individuals which are not caused by anything wrong with the individual, but by the world at large. For example, climate change. It can't be solved at the individual level, and it may be possible to shut out and ignore it, but that's not really a proper way of handling it. No amount of therapy or drugs will make climate change go away.

I'm not saying that the woman in question is killing herself for that reason. But I am saying that how much things like that can affect people's mental health is something that is difficult to study and prove. One example that does have evidence though is social support for gender transition - trans people with social support generally have much better mental health than those without, but addressing this issue can require changes to society as a whole and not just the individual trans person's behavior or mentality.

My concern is that people will overlook potential social changes to accommodate people, if they view the issue as solved by means of assisted suicide.