After the hell of schizophrenia (and I DO mean hell) — I’d rather cling into dear life as long as I can because I’m scared of my after life
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IDK man. When I was 19-21 I was pretty ill. I couldn’t work, go to school, live independently. I had no friends, money or a car. I had nothing and I lived in a group home for a year followed by 8 months in the hospital. It was just solid suffering for about 2 1/2 years straight. On paper, I could see that I would have fit the criteria for assisted end of life if it was offered at the time.
But if I would have done it I would have missed out on:
Flying to the east coast a few times for vacation.
Being best man at my dads wedding.
Having a couple girlfriends.
Going camping, water skiing and jet skiing.
Gambling in Reno, Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.
Having good friends who I hung out with for years.
Going to several concerts.
Going to comedy clubs.
Going to too many restaurants and movies to count.
Taking many train trips.
Going to the beach, mountains and lakes etc.
And I’m looking back on being employed almost 40 years and being three classes away from my diploma.
No one who knew me back when I first got sick could have predicted I would ever do all this stuff. I had a bad, bad, case.
I’m so glad I’m alive and I’m thankful I survived through the years where I was constantly suicidal and hopeless. And came out the other side.
And if assisted dying was available when I was young, I might have used it. But here I am, on my days off of work, just got back from eating a great lunch at the park, enjoying the sunshine and peace and quiet. Going out to clean my car pretty soon. Going to call my sister in Mexico afterward, and play around with my new iphone.
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Personally I think being forced to live an agonizing life with serious disease sounds way worse than the probably small risk of being euthanized against my will.
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Yes for sure. I just mean they would have to prove that a person was of sound mind when they make the decision
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I would assume so
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I also honestly feel that it is my right to decide when my life is over, as long as that decision was made while I was still of sound mind. If I am too physically disabled to do it myself, or I wrote a will that details my wishes, helping me is the right thing to do. And a lot of people would be willing to help. It is not for anyone else to decide for me.
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I agree with terminally ill patients choosing just not sure in regards to mental illness.
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It is definitely a more problematic area, yes.
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I watched my Grandad in 2018 spend 6 months in a general hospital, and then he was in a nursing home for two weeks in a box of a room, and in the end they ceased antibiotics and let an infection kill him.
He also could no longer eat or take in fluids.
His wife who I am still ok with behaved very badly. She was holding onto hope that she could still care for him, and kept him alive and fought right to the last knockings to keep him alive.
She now lives with resentment, and hates my brother and everyone else who overrided her decision to keep him alive artificially.
The man was gone who we knew. I did not mourn or grieve, because he had a full life, and to see a man I knew all my life in that state, I was glad he passed to end his suffering.
I wish we could have planned his end of life treatment better, and that he died from medical intervention rather than ‘natural causes’ - which I regard as ■■■■■■■ cruel.
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if they had that in america i probably would have wanted to do it on a bad day. and not been able to see the better days if i pushed on
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@FatMama I don’t know the details of this bill. When you say “chronic severe mental illness” what exactly are we talking about? I would consider it for conditions like advanced dementia but most certainly not for psychiatric disorders like sz. If I understood correctly @Moonbeam has hinted at the appalling outcome of euthanasia legislation in some countries - I remember reading that in The Netherlands there was pretty conclusive evidence that the less well off were far more likely to “choose” euthanasia than economically better off seriously ill people. Principles matter, but deleterious unintended consequences of well-meaning legislation should matter even more.
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Watching the last few weeks of my father in laws life was terrible
There was no way for him to go peacefully he was messed up
He said to me at the beginning of this phase of his life dying in hospital that he would step in front of a bus if he could get out
He kept mistaking me for his wife of 60 years, my mother in law, maybe this is who he was confiding to in his mind
His was such a bad way to go
Hospitals are full of people yelling “let me die” over and over
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It is not a simple process to be approved for this in countries that allow it in Europe, and especially not when a mental illness is involved.
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I think you can currently go to Switzerland from uk
I think it costs 10,000 in advance and you spend a long time setting it up bc and family are involved and doctors
It would be something I’d opt for if I had any really bad news or got to an age and it still isn’t legal in UK
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When my mom died, she was given six months and lived another five. The last three or four, she was just a vegetable laying in the bed, unresponsive. She wasn’t eating or drinking. Still, I don’t think it’s right to put her down because of my religious beliefs. They were giving her morphine.
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Nick, I adore your positivity!
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@77nick77 I don’t think you would have been a candidate for assisted death, simply because you were mentally ill. At the time you weren’t capable of making a rational decision. The request would have to be made in advance, and I’m sure there is a process to go through to ensure that you are not making a mistake or a rash decision
Dying with Dignity is the advocacy group here in Canada. I spoke to them just a few weeks ago, and they still weren’t sure which form the legislation would take. I would really have to review it to understand
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I’m all for it. It’s not like it’s an easy process to just sign away your life. There are lots of doctors that have to agree.
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I don’t know all the details yet. I’m sure a dr would have to show that over the years with meds etc the condition did not improve. I believe it isn’t something that can be done on a whim nor without much proof
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I shouldn’t have read this thread. I just made myself sick. Sorry.
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