Year: 1994 Source: Lancet, v.344, no.8925, (September 17, 1994), p.822-823 SIEC No: 19940939

This Letter to the Editor responds to an item about Dutch Supreme Court acknowledgement that euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide might be justifiable for patients with mental suffering. The authors are appalled. They note: all criteria set by Dutch law seems to have been violated in the case described; it is almost impossible by objective methods to assess the unbearability of mental pain; depression is treatable; & doctors & staff can experience strong countertransference reactions.