What Does “Irremediability” in Mental Illness Mean?

There is considerable conceptual debate about how irremediability should be defined in the context of psychiatric EAS, and whether an objective or subjective standard should prevail.

“There is considerable conceptual debate about how irremediability should be defined in the context of psychiatric EAS, and whether an objective or subjective standard should prevail (Gaind, 2020; Nicolini, Kim, Churchill, & Gastmans, 2020a; Schuklenk, 2019; Sinyor & Schaffer, 2020; Smith, 2020; van Veen, Ruissen, & Widdershoven, 2020).”

Experiences of stigma have been reported as contributing more to the intolerability of suffering among people with mental disorders than the symptoms of the disorder.

“Experiences of stigma have been reported as contributing more to the intolerability of suffering among people with mental disorders than the symptoms of the disorder [33].”

Some healthcare professionals feel ill-prepared to follow the law, failing to know how it applies to patients and how to apply it without discrimination.

“Some healthcare professionals feel ill-prepared to follow the law, failing to know how it applies to patients [56] and how to apply it without discrimination [33] (e.g., without being influenced by biases against mental disorders).”

For some disorders, such as borderline personality disorders, a physician intervening by MAiD-NT could encounter moral distress because the criteria might not consider the common fluctuating suicidal ideation and behavior, contemporary psychosocial rehabilitation treatment, and the individual's potential for a life worth living.

“For some disorders, such as borderline personality disorders, a physician intervening by MAiD-NT could encounter moral distress, since the criteria for the procedure might not take into consideration the common fluctuating suicidal ideation and behavior in these disorders, the contemporary forms of psychosocial rehabilitation treatment, and the individual’s potential for having a life worth living”

Some socially disadvantaged people might consider MAiD-MD to escape suffering and stressors caused by their reality, such as social isolation, homelessness, poverty, inadequate housing, and unemployment.

“Some socially disadvantaged people might consider MAiD-MD to escape the suffering and stressors caused by their reality [6], such as social isolation, homelessness, poverty, inadequate housing, and unemployment [33, 34].”

Acknowledging the irremediability of a person's condition can promote hope, empathy and engagement and thus promote recovery, making that person feel genuinely considered.

“Conversely, some authors point out that acknowledging the irremediability of a person’s condition can promote hope, empathy and engagement and thus promote recovery [33], making that person feel genuinely considered [37].”