While I'm on my high horse ?:

There's this idea that euthanasia shouldn't be legalised because "what people need is just better palliative care". Regardless of what you think about euthanasia itself, this is a bullshit argument. There is very little way to palliate some symptoms to provide complete relief- and this is coming from me, who is a huge huge advocate for the role of palliative care. It's just really not the same. And either you accept that, or you don't.

Then there's the idea that we should allow euthanasia for severe mental illness. But how can someone consent to euthanasia if they're severely mentally ill? That makes zero sense. It violates pretty much every principle of informed consent.

Then there's this notion that dementia is the worst thing ever for the person with dementia, and that nothing could possibly be worse. Ridiculous. Clearly being cognitively intact and suffering physically and intractably is worse than being pleasantly confused in a nursing home. Dementia is horrible for carers. Dementia can be horrible for sufferers but it's not predetermined - it depends on the kind of dementia and what behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (bpsd) someone gets. Of course end stage dementia is pretty bad, because you can't do anything. Now having something like a rapidly progressive and untreatable neurological disorder or end stage liver disease or any other number of disorders is much much worse.

@kdfrawg yeah. I think it's part of why it's contagious. Because it brings up such major existential questions

it's disgusting. Just no empathy whatsoever

@kdfrawg yep. If we accept that 50% of people just have severe acute stress causing suicide, not chronic mental illness, then does that mean we will commit suicide?

@kdfrawg I think you're totally right. Increasingly I think many people have emotional problems, some severe, but never develop insight or coping strategies

@kdfrawg agreed. And actually doctors… Yes some are smart but overall they're not geniuses. Abstract thought is variable in our profession

@kdfrawg Ohhh do tell?

@kdfrawg absolutely. These days I write down my unpleasant emotions and why. Working through what it is that's bothering me usually makes me feel almost instantly better.

@kdfrawg what I don't get was that I was talking about how it's upsetting and that I wasn't sure what to say openly given how traumatic it can be, and given the knock on effect with suicides

@kdfrawg I think there's even judgement of a lot of patients by health professionals, but honestly there's much more judgement of coworkers than patients.