Rational Suicide and the Crisis of Terminal Illness - Reply to Lokhandwala and Westefeld
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-1998
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Lokhandwala and Westefeld's article highlighting the ethical dilemma in rational suicide raises the pragmatic question of how one would actually assess a client's situation. A particularly relevant diagnosis that should be ruled out is clinical depression. The DSM-IV lists nine symptoms of major depressive disorder, eight of which could easily be masked as symptoms of the physical illness or side effects of treatment. These symptoms can be grouped into three categories: central features of depression, physical signs of depression, and cognitive signs of depression. All three of these categories, particularly physical signs, could easily be mistaken for medical problems. Reviewing the nine criteria for a diagnosis of clinical depression might be a good way to explore the possibility of clinical depression In a terminally ill person who is supposedly making a "rational" decision to com?nit suicide.
Publication Title
Journal of Personal & Interpersonal Loss
Volume
3
Issue
2
First Page
161
Last Page
165
Recommended Citation
Range, L. M.
(1998). Rational Suicide and the Crisis of Terminal Illness - Reply to Lokhandwala and Westefeld. Journal of Personal & Interpersonal Loss, 3(2), 161-165.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/4939