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What forms of framing can be found in the Flemish media in a jury trial about euthanasia for psychological suffering?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2025

K. Catthoor
K. Catthoor*
Affiliation:
CAPRI, University of Antwerp PZ Stuivenberg, Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom, Antwerp Flemish Association of Psychiatry, Kortenberg, Belgium

Abstract

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Abstract

The Flemish Association of Psychiatry developed due care guidelines for medical assisted dying in cases of severe and unbearable psychiatric suffering, which were adopted by the Order of Physicians. In principle, there are therefore more than enough well-known recommendations on how to handle a request for termination of life from a patient with psychiatric issues.

Nevertheless, occasionally something goes wrong due to misinterpretation of the legal criteria or due to careless actions by the consulting or performing physician.

In 2010, a female patient died by euthanasia because of unbearable mental suffering, which was unacceptable for her family. The family decided to initiate a court case to have the inaccuracies in the decision-making process and the execution of the euthanasia evaluated by a judge. In 2020, three involved doctors, including a psychiatrist, were prosecuted for this euthanasia. An analysis of the court case and the media coverage of this case will be discussed.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

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Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 68 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2025 , pp. S64 - S65
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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