@article{Montreuil_Séguin_Gros_Racine_2020, title={Survey of Mental Health Care Providers’ Perspectives on the Everyday Ethics of Medical-Aid-in-Dying for People with a Mental Illness}, volume={3}, url={https://cjb-rcb.ca/index.php/cjb-rcb/article/view/248}, DOI={10.7202/1070236ar}, abstractNote={<p><u>Context</u>:&nbsp;In most jurisdictions where medical-aid-in-dying (MAiD) is available, this option is reserved for individuals suffering from incurable physical conditions. Currently, in Canada, people who have a mental illness are legally excluded from accessing&nbsp;MAiD.&nbsp;<u>Methods</u>:&nbsp;We developed a questionnaire for mental health care providers to better understand their perspectives related to ethical issues in relation to&nbsp;MAiD&nbsp;in the context of severe and persistent suffering caused by mental illness. We used a mixed-methods survey approach, using a concurrent embedded model with both closed and open-ended questions.&nbsp;<u>Findings</u>: 477 healthcare providers from the province of Québec (Canada) completed the questionnaire. One third of the sample (34.4%) were nurses, one quarter psychologists (24.3%) and one quarter psycho-educators (24%). Nearly half of the respondents (48.4%) considered that people with a severe mental illness should be granted the right to opt for&nbsp;MAiD&nbsp;as a way to end their suffering. Respondents were more likely to feel comfortable listening to the person and participating in discussions related to&nbsp;MAiD&nbsp;for a mental illness than offering care or the means for the person to access&nbsp;MAiD. Most (86.2%) reported that they had not received adequate/sufficient training,&nbsp;education or preparation in order to address ethical questions surrounding MAiD.&nbsp;<u>Conclusions</u>:&nbsp;The findings highlight how extending&nbsp;MAiD&nbsp;to people with a mental illness would affect daily practices for mental healthcare providers who work directly with people who may request&nbsp;MAiD. The survey results also reinforce the need for adequate training and professional education in this complex area of care.</p&gt;}, number={1}, journal={Canadian Journal of Bioethics / Revue canadienne de bioéthique}, author={Montreuil, Marjorie and Séguin, Monique and Gros, Catherine and Racine, Eric}, year={2020}, month={Jul.}, pages={152-163} }