I wish I could go like this lady

[BlueWidow]

Assisted suicide laws would be great but I honestly and wholeheartedly think they should not be for mentally ill people. But as other people have said, euthanasia laws are only a matter of time, so the ones here with chronic pain need not worry for that long.

Do you think mentally ill people aren't in chronic pain, or they are in less pain than those in physical pain? Just curious about why you feel assisted suicide laws should not be for mentally ill people.

 

[Heart of Ice]

Do you think mentally ill people aren't in chronic pain, or they are in less pain than those in physical pain? Just curious about why you feel assisted suicide laws should not be for mentally ill people.

I see medical euthanasia as the last option, when treatment is pointless. A very valuable and merciful last option, but a last option nevertheless. Regarding mental illness, there is always the chance of recovery. And if it's a medical institution, there are things regarding the state – licencing and education of doctors, for example, that turn this into a pseudo-political problem. And it sucks, but because it is a political problem or at least a problem regarding the state, everyone's opinion matters. If it were a question of suicide, any debate would be useless since it is one's own choice, performed alone. I wouldn't want my tax money going into the medical euthanasia of a 24-year-old woman, no matter how indirectly, and I feel there might be plenty of people who feel the same way.

And perhaps ignorance. I've never had a mental illness, at least not a diagnosed one. In my hierarchy of suckiness, physical illnessess rank higher – or lower depending how you look at it – than mental illnessess. No disrespect intended.

And I'm sorry if I'm not making sense. I always fear my arguments stumble over a language barrier.

 

[BPD_LE]

Assisted suicide laws would be great but I honestly and wholeheartedly think they should not be for mentally ill people.

Respectfully disagree. I don't see a difference between chronic physical and chronic psychological pain. I have the same psychological disorder as the lady in the article. I'm nearly 10 years older than her. Like her I have been treated with many medications and therapies. They have not worked. Emotionally I am in pain which is unresponsive to treatment and prevents me from having any quality of life. This is a life sentence. I am not ill. I am disabled. I will not get better.

 

[BlueWidow]

I see medical euthanasia as the last option, when treatment is pointless. A very valuable and merciful last option, but a last option nevertheless. Regarding mental illness, there is always the chance of recovery. And if it's a medical institution, there are things regarding the state – licencing and education of doctors, for example, that turn this into a pseudo-political problem. And it sucks, but because it is a political problem or at least a problem regarding the state, everyone's opinion matters. If it were a question of suicide, any debate would be useless since it is one's own choice, performed alone. I wouldn't want my tax money going into the medical euthanasia of a 24-year-old woman, no matter how indirectly, and I feel there might be plenty of people who feel the same way.

And perhaps ignorance. I've never had a mental illness, at least not a diagnosed one. In my hierarchy of suckiness, physical illnessess rank higher – or lower depending how you look at it – than mental illnessess. No disrespect intended.

And I'm sorry if I'm not making sense. I always fear my arguments stumble over a language barrier.

I understand your points. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Your argument about it being a political problem or a problem of the state is interesting because you say you don't want your money going to pay for the euthanasia of a 24-year-old girl or any person with a mental illness, if I'm understanding you correctly. I agree that it sucks when your tax dollars go to pay for things that you don't agree with. My tax dollars go to pay for many things that I don't agree with. I would say that's probably the case for a lot of people. For example, I live in the United States, and our Congress has waged wars all over the world that I don't agree with that have caused many soldiers and civilians alike to be maimed and killed for what I consider to be absolutely no reason at all. Yet, there's nothing I can do about it, except try to vote for someone who won't do that. I feel this is the same thing. I understand why you wouldn't want your tax money going to something that you disagree with. It's very frustrating.

I respectfully disagree with you that mental illnesses should rank as less important than physical illnesses. Having had both in my life, I can tell you they are equally as painful. In fact, I would say in many cases, psychological illnesses are more painful because they aren't taken as seriously as physical Illnesses. You can live with a mental illness and be in severe psychological pain where every day of your life is pure and complete torture for decades with not one person lifting a finger to help you because they don't think your pain is that important. People assume they can throw some pills at you, or put you in therapy, or ask you to go exercise, or meditate, or do a myriad of other things that are not helpful (at least none of those things were ever helpful to me).
At least when a person is in physical pain, their pain is usually acknowledged and is assumed to be real. I've had so many people, including many medical professionals, treat me as if I'm not really in any pain. I'm just making it up. Or I need to just suck it up, snap out of it, or get over it. Many people dismiss psychological pain.
I realize some people in physical pain have also had these experiences, but I think it's more common with people who have mental or psychological pain. For anyone else who has had this experience as I have, no matter what kind of pain you're in, I am truly sorry you were dismissed and your pain was not acknowledged for what it is- something very real and very important - and I completely sympathize with you because I'm in the same boat.
Again, I think everyone's entitled to their opinion and everyone has their own reasons for their opinion.

 

[sleepy dog]

Mental problems are MUCH worse than physical ones. There is no real comparison. I have seen people dying very slowly and with pain still want to live. A healthy mind literally lets them feel good even when in physical pain. My father laid on a couch dying of cancer for a year. He was okay all the way until his last breath.

I have tried to apply for Dignitas in Switzerland and the one in Belgium. Good luck finding an application to fill out and submit. Has anybody had better luck about that?

 

[Heart of Ice]

I understand your points. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Your argument about it being a political problem or a problem of the state is interesting because you say you don't want your money going to pay for the euthanasia of a 24-year-old girl or any person with a mental illness, if I'm understanding you correctly. I agree that it sucks when your tax dollars go to pay for things that you don't agree with. My tax dollars go to pay for many things that I don't agree with. I would say that's probably the case for a lot of people. For example, I live in the United States, and our Congress has waged wars all over the world that I don't agree with that have caused many soldiers and civilians alike to be maimed and killed for what I consider to be absolutely no reason at all. Yet, there's nothing I can do about it, except try to vote for someone who won't do that. I feel this is the same thing. I understand why you wouldn't want your tax money going to something that you disagree with. It's very frustrating.

I respectfully disagree with you that mental illnesses should rank as less important than physical illnesses. Having had both in my life, I can tell you they are equally as painful. In fact, I would say in many cases, psychological illnesses are more painful because they aren't taken as seriously as physical Illnesses. You can live with a mental illness and be in severe psychological pain where every day of your life is pure and complete torture for decades with not one person lifting a finger to help you because they don't think your pain is that important. People assume they can throw some pills at you, or put you in therapy, or ask you to go exercise, or meditate, or do a myriad of other things that are not helpful (at least none of those things were ever helpful to me).
At least when a person is in physical pain, their pain is usually acknowledged and is assumed to be real. I've had so many people, including many medical professionals, treat me as if I'm not really in any pain. I'm just making it up. Or I need to just suck it up, snap out of it, or get over it. Many people dismiss psychological pain.
I realize some people in physical pain have also had these experiences, but I think it's more common with people who have mental or psychological pain. For anyone else who has had this experience as I have, no matter what kind of pain you're in, I am truly sorry you were dismissed and your pain was not acknowledged for what it is- something very real and very important - and I completely sympathize with you because I'm in the same boat.
Again, I think everyone's entitled to their opinion and everyone has their own reasons for their opinion.

Please don't say "everyone is entitled to their own opinion". You mean well, but for me it just sounds like... ugh I can't figure out the right word... one is talking to a child.

I've been giving this more thought recently. It's hard for me to feel sympathy for the mentally ill, because I haven't been there. This is probably the real reason, if I'm being honest.