Euthanasia grief less severe

[Guest guest]

Euthanasia grief less severe

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3092905.stm

 

Relatives of patients who died naturally displayed more symptoms of grief

Families of patients who die by euthanasia cope better than those of

patients who die by natural causes, say researchers.

Dutch researchers say they have fewer symptoms of grief and post-traumatic

stress disorder because they have had the chance to say goodbye.

 

The team stress they are not advocating euthanasia. But they say their

research does indicate that it does not increase the grief felt by families,

as was previously thought.

 

UK bereavement experts said the ability to say goodbye was recognised as

helping relatives and friends cope with the death of a loved one.

 

Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands. It is not legal in the UK.

 

Openness

 

The researchers sent questionnaires to 189 bereaved family members and close

friends of terminally ill cancer patients who died by euthanasia and 316

bereaved family members and close friends of comparable cancer patients who

died a natural death between 1992 and 1999.

 

This is not a plea for euthanasia

 

Dr Nikkie Swarte, University Medical Center, Utrecht

They asked them about symptoms of grief, post-traumatic stress and

depression.

 

The family and friends of the patients who died by euthanasia had less

traumatic symptoms than the group whose relatives died through natural

causes.

 

The researchers say this is likely to be because, in addition to saying

goodbye, they could be more prepared for their loved one's death and more

able to talk openly about what was going to happen and how they would feel.

 

Dr Nikkie Swarte of the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the

Netherlands, told BBC News Online: " This is not a plea for euthanasia,

absolutely not.

 

" But it is a plea for the same level of care and openness in all patients

who are terminally ill.

 

" Our message is that euthanasia will not cause more grief. It was sometimes

suggested that we didn't know what we were doing, and that euthanasia might

be bad for the relatives. "

 

Dr Swarte said there were lessons for medical personnel dealing with all

terminally ill patients.

 

" It's very important to realise that the possibility of saying goodbye and

everything they want to say is very important for the relatives, and the

patients. "

 

Debate

 

A spokeswoman for Cruse Bereavement Care told BBC News Online the

organisation did not have a position for or against euthanasia, but aimed to

support anyone who has been bereaved, no matter what the relationship was

with the person who had died or the circumstances of the death.

 

She said: " The complexities of bereavement are such that if the bereaved

person has had the opportunity to say goodbye and say some of the things

they really want to say and to listen to the dying person's thoughts and

feelings it can often make the experience more bearable.

 

" Sadly in many situations, such as sudden death, this is not possible. "

 

The research is published in the British Medical Journal in a special issue

focussing on death and bereavement.

 

It featured other studies including research suggesting doctors often

over-estimate how long terminally-ill patients will live for, that they can

be strongly affected by patients' deaths and that more debate is needed

before legalising euthanasia can be considered.