Raymond De Vries, PhD and Scott Kim, MD, PhD 's study of euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) for persons with psychiatric illnesses was recently written up in the New York Times. They found that persons receiving EAS for psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands were mostly women, of diverse ages, with complex and chronic psychiatric, medical, and psychosocial histories. They also reported that in more than half of approved cases, people had declined treatment that could have helped, and that many cited loneliness as an important reason for wanting to die. Dr. De Vries and Dr. Kim are current and former co-directors of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine (CBSSM) .
