Death by request in Switzerland: Posttraumatic stress disorder and complicated grief after witnessing assisted suicide

Birgit Wagner · Julia Müller · Andreas Maercker

67 citations0/0 files storedEuropean Psychiatry

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Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health Suicide and Self-Harm Studies Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite continuing political, legal and moral debate on the subject, assisted suicide is permitted in only a few countries worldwide. However, few studies have examined the impact that witnessing assisted suicide has on the mental health of family members or close friends. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 85 family members or close friends who were present at an assisted suicide was conducted in December 2007. Full or partial Post-Traumatic Distress Disorder (PTSD; Impact of Event Scale-Revised), depression and anxiety symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory) and complicated grief (Inventory of Complicated Grief) were assessed at 14 to 24 months post-loss. RESULTS: Of the 85 participants, 13% met the criteria for full PTSD (cut-off≥35), 6.5% met the criteria for subthreshold PTSD (cut-off≥25), and 4.9% met the criteria for complicated grief. The prevalence of depression was 16%; the prevalence of anxiety was 6%. CONCLUSION: A higher prevalence of PTSD and depression was found in the present sample than has been reported for the Swiss population in general. However, the prevalence of complicated grief in the sample was comparable to that reported for the general Swiss population. Therefore, although there seemed to be no complications in the grief process, about 20% of respondents experienced full or subthreshold PTSD related to the loss of a close person through assisted suicide.

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References

2013Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 1996A 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey 2007The Impact of Event Scale: Revised 1997Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD 1995Inventory of complicated grief: A scale to measure maladaptive symptoms of loss 2001Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care.1997Impact of Event Scale--Revised 2011Prevalence of complicated grief in a representative population-based sample

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2011Social acknowledgement as a predictor of post-traumatic stress and complicated grief after witnessing assisted suicide 2019Grief After Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide 2013Parler du deuil pour éviter de parler de la mort ? La société occidentale face aux changements démographiques et culturels du xxie siècle

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