[Requests for medical assistance in dying by young Dutch people with psychiatric disorders]

In the Netherlands, a growing group of young people requests medical assistance in dying based on psychiatric suffering (MAID-PS). This study examined trends, characteristics and outcomes of such requests at ExpertisecentrumEuthanasie (EE) between 2012 and 2021.

Retrospective quantitative file study.

All young applicants (< 24 years, N = 352, 73.4% female) who requested MAID-PS at EE between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2021, were included in the study.

Of N=397 applications, 47.3% were withdrawn (N=188) and 44.8% were rejected (N=178). Among N=353 unique applicants, 12 (3.0%) died by MAID and 17 (4.3%) by suicide during the application process. Deceased applicants often had multiple psychiatric diagnoses, a history of suicide attempts, and an extensive treatment history.

The findings indicate a growing group of young applicants with severe psychological suffering and high risk of suicide. More insight into persistent death wishes and effective suicide prevention is needed.