The Patient's Wish to Die: Research, Ethics, and Palliative Care 2015

Death wish statements are becoming a common occurrence with terminally ill patients. Those dealing with these statements need to understand the complexity of such wishes in order to respond competently and compassionately to requests. If misunderstood, the statements may be taken as true, and the clinician may fail to recognise that the patient is indeed experiencing ambivalent feelings at the end of life, or may misinterpret the expressed wish to die as a sign of clinical depression. In recent years, a public debate has erupted about the morality and ethics of different end-of-life care options. This book presents the best available knowledge and research methodologies on patients' wishes at the end of life, together with a range of ethical views and a discussion of the clinical implications for palliative care. The book presents the material in an open and unbiased way, while being sensitive to the spiritual and existential dimensions of dying and the different cultural views that give meaning to the individual. Written by top experts and ethics scholars from around the world, including palliative care practitioners and end-of-life researchers from countries where assisted dying practices are legalised and those where they are not.