Barter Street
London
What is mental health? Can we make sense of psychosis? What’s the connection between mental health and concepts including race & evolution? Explore these questions, among others, through the lens of philosophy at the 2023/4 London Lectures.
Understanding Suicide and Assisted Dying for Persons with Mental Disorders
Suicidality is a central problem in the political and public debates about assisted dying for persons with mental disorders. Because it is generally agreed that we should prevent suicide, some argue that we should not allow assistance in dying if it is the same thing as suicide. In this talk, I will argue that framing the issue this way does not help us to arrive at any conclusion; it only restates the problem. The question that societies contemplating assisted dying for persons with mental disorders must answer is whether or not this practice is something that should ever be permitted on ethical grounds.
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About the speaker
Mona Gupta is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addictions at the Université de Montréal. She has an active practice in the area of consultation-liaison psychiatry. Her academic focus is in ethics and the philosophy of psychiatry. She has been actively involved in the debate about medical assistance in dying (MAID) for persons with mental disorders. She chaired the federal government's Expert Panel on MAID and mental illness and the Task Group on Model Practice Standards for MAID.