Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It's not the suicidality of psychiatric patients, where suicidality is part of the illness.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Do you mean outside of mental illness?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That's what you have to look at—if there's mental illness. If you have depression—

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  So far, we're not able to differentiate what is suicidality or “real”—

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I mean as a professional.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  In some cases, they could. Yes, they were able.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That's difficult to imagine at the moment because we have not found a way to distinguish between a suicidal thought and a genuine desire for death. I am sorry, but we always come back to the same thing. It is a concern that studies from the Netherlands or Belgium, where MAID is allowed, show that the scope already seems to be widening.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I have a hard time seeing why we would be so superior to other countries that are ahead of us. For them, the situation has actually deteriorated or has become very ill-defined. I have a hard time seeing it, and it's the same with physical illnesses. I was in Quebec, where MAID was offered only at the end of life, basically euthanasia for a physical health problem.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Honestly, I have a hard time thinking of any. I couldn't give you any, mostly because we have no way of telling the difference between a genuine suicidal idea and a genuine request for MAID. We are not able to make that distinction.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I have established decision-making capacity before, but not with a patient with a psychiatric disorder.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  No, for a patient with a psychiatric disorder, I have not.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes, I have done so for patients other than those with a psychiatric disorder, because suicidal ideation is not part—

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Most of the time, it can be done.