Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Wish to die in end-stage ALS.

S M Albert1, J G Rabkin, M L Del Bene

  • 1The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Research Center, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. sma10@columbia.edu

Neurology
|July 13, 2005
PubMed
Summary

In advanced Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a small percentage of patients wish to hasten death, with some acting on it. This desire is linked to hopelessness and reduced optimism, not solely depression.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Lessons Learned from COVID-19: Intern Peer Teaching During a Pandemic.

Irish medical journal·2022
Same author

Lipidomics study of plasma from patients suggest that ALS and PLS are part of a continuum of motor neuron disorders.

Scientific reports·2021
Same author

A Study of the Patients Admitted to the Clinical Decision Unit over One Year.

Irish medical journal·2016
Same author

Motor cortex glutathione deficit in ALS measured in vivo with the J-editing technique.

Neuroscience letters·2014
Same author

Treatment of depression in HIV+men: Literature review and report of an ongoing study of testosterone replacement therapy.

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine·2013
Same author

Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: relationships between dental attendance patterns, oral health behaviour and the current barriers to dental care.

British dental journal·2013

Area of Science:

  • Palliative Care
  • Neurology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Estimates of hastened dying in seriously ill patients vary widely in retrospective studies.
  • Understanding the wish to die in terminal illness is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To prospectively examine the wish to die in patients with advanced Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
  • To explore factors associated with the wish to die and hastening of death in end-stage disease.

Main Methods:

  • Monthly psychosocial interviews with 80 advanced ALS patients and their caregivers.
  • Inclusion of diagnostic interviews for depression and assessment of sociodemographic features and disease severity.

Main Results:

  • 18.9% of patients expressed a wish to die; 5.7% hastened dying.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Wish to die was associated with greater hopelessness, less optimism, and less religious comfort.
  • Patients who hastened dying reported reduced suffering and increased control.

    • Conclusions:

    • The desire to hasten dying in end-stage ALS is complex and not solely attributable to depression.
    • Findings suggest a need for nuanced understanding beyond simple diagnostic criteria.