Abstract
In Switzerland, all deaths through assisted suicide are reported as unnatural deaths and investigated by a forensic team (police, medical examiner, and state attorney). However, there is limited knowledge concerning the impact these forensic investigations have on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, or depression in those who have lost a loved one. A cross-sectional survey of 85 family members or close friends who were present at an assisted suicide was conducted in December 2007. The Impact of Event Scale, Inventory of Complicated Grief, and Brief Symptom Inventory were used to assess mental health. The newly developed Forensic Investigation Experience Scale measured the emotional experience of the legal investigation at the death scene. The data suggest that the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is significantly related to having experienced the forensic investigation as emotionally difficult. Thus, the way the forensic investigation is conducted immediately after an unnatural death is evidently associated with the development of post-traumatic stress. It is recommended that a protocol be developed establishing a standardised response to cases of assisted suicide and that specific training be provided for the legal professionals involved.
Highlights
Despite being a subject of ongoing political, legal, and moral debate, assisted suicide or euthanasia is legally allowed in only a few countries worldwide
The data suggest that the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is significantly related to having experienced the forensic investigation as emotionally difficult
Cases of assisted suicide are treated as unnatural deaths, and each case must be investigated by a forensic team [3]
Summary
Despite being a subject of ongoing political, legal, and moral debate, assisted suicide or euthanasia is legally allowed in only a few countries worldwide. The procedure applied by Exit Deutsche Schweiz is as follows: An individual who decides to die must first undergo a medical examination. On the day the individual decides to die, an Exit volunteer collects the medication and takes it to the patient’s home. There, he or she hands the patient the fluid to swallow. Cases of assisted suicide are treated as unnatural deaths, and each case must be investigated by a forensic team (police, medical examiner, and state attorney) [3]. Deaths by assisted suicide enter the public arena, and police investigations and legal proceedings may prolong the grieving process and increase psychological impairment among the bereaved.
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