Canada will face a “suicide contagion” if medical assistance in dying (MAID) becomes an acceptable alternative for individuals suffering from mental distress, a psychiatrist specialized in severe mental illness told a parliamentary committee this week.
Barrie, Ont., psychiatrist John Maher told the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying in testimony on April 21 that MAID is effectively normalizing state-assisted death for people with mental illness.
“I had a patient today with schizophrenia very, very cavalierly saying, if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend, he’s going to request MAID,” Maher said. “It’s been normalized. It’s suicide contagion.”…