The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia recently issued a standard of practice, and it provides that where the grievous and irremediable condition is a mental illness, either the first or second physician must be a psychiatrist.
My question for you would be in terms of dealing with a situation where, for example, there may be a grievous and irremediable condition that isn't a mental condition, but the person suffers from some sort of psychiatric condition which goes to the question of capacity. In those situations, is a psychiatric opinion necessary? Also, would a GP, for example, have the ability to, I guess, tease out the issue of a grievous and irremediable condition from that of a psychiatric condition, which may be the underlying motivation for the request?