Physician-Assisted Death Psychiatric Assessment: A Standardized Protocol to Conform to the California End of Life Option Act

The CA End of Life Option Act (EOLOA), which legalized physician-assisted death (PAD) became effective in 2016. The EOLOA does not require a mental health consultation in all cases nor does it state the standards for the mental health assessment. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSFMC) policy makers decided to require a mental health assessment of all patients seeking PAD under the EOLOA. The Department of Psychiatry was tasked with developing a standard protocol for the mental health assessment of patients seeking PAD.

Source: Psychosomatics - March 2, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: James A. Bourgeois, Maria Theresa Mariano, James Wilkins, Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, Lawrence Kaplan, Linda Ganzini Source Type: research