What are the potential ethical implications of medical assistance in dying (MAID) for psychiatric patients?

Canadian Bill C-7 hopes to expand the current criteria for medical assistance in dying (MAID) to include individuals with psychiatric disorders. Plans of expanding existing criteria to include psychiatric patients was set to take place in March 2023 but has since been delayed until March 17th, 2027. With this date approaching, it is crucial we identify the potential ethical implications of MAID when offering such a service to psychiatric patients. Literature review of 32 peer reviewed articles. Utilized several databases such as CINAHL, PsychInfo, and MEDLINE. Utilized a matrix format to gather and organize information. As mental illness can disrupt one’s ability to make competent decisions, autonomy cannot be ensured. Not having the ability to control one’s own choices directly violates the core principles of medical ethics and law. The exclusion of psychiatric clients from MAiD disregards psychiatric suffering as less painful than a physical ailment. The vulnerable nature of psychiatric patients caused by both illness and sociocultural factors, puts individuals at considerable risk for the maleficent misuse of MAID as a form of escape or alternative treatment. The correct timing for the introduction of MAID into a patient’s treatment is unclear and improper application may not be beneficent. Poster submission was presented at the Coquitlam campus on April 9, 2024, for Student Research Days 2024.