Titre
Conventional and assisted suicide in Switzerland: Insights into a divergent development based on cancer-associated self-initiated deaths.
Type
article
Institution
UNIL/CHUV/Unisanté + institutions partenaires
Périodique
Auteur(s)
Güth, U.
Auteure/Auteur
Junker, C.
Auteure/Auteur
Elger, B.S.
Auteure/Auteur
Elfgen, C.
Auteure/Auteur
Montagna, G.
Auteure/Auteur
Schneeberger, A.R.
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les unités
ISSN
2045-7634
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2023-08
Volume
12
Numéro
16
Première page
17296
Dernière page/numéro d’article
17307
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Langue
anglais
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Résumé
We tested the hypothesis of supporters of assisted dying that assisted suicide (AS) might be able to prevent cases of conventional suicide (CS).
By using data from the Federal Statistical Office, we analyzed the long-term development of 30,756 self-initiated deaths in Switzerland over a 20-year period (1999-2018; CS: n = 22,018, AS: n = 8738), focusing on people suffering from cancer who died from AS or CS.
While cancer was the most often listed principal disease for AS (n = 3580, 41.0% of AS cases), cancer was listed in only a small minority of CS cases (n = 832, 3.8% of CS cases). There was a significant increase in the absolute number of cancer-associated AS cases: comparing four 5-year periods, there was approximately a doubling of cases every 5 years (1999-2003: n = 228 vs.2004-2008: n = 474, +108% compared with the previous period; 2009-2013: n = 920, +94%; 2014-2018: n = 1958, +113%). The ratio of cancer-associated AS in relationship with all cancer-associated deaths increased over time to 2.3% in the last observation period (2014-2018). In parallel, the numbers of cancer-associated CS showed a downward trend only at the beginning of the observation period (1999-2003, n = 240 vs. 2004-2008, n = 199, -17%). Thereafter, the number of cases remained stable in the subsequent 5-year period (2009-2013, n = 187, -6%), and increased again toward the most recent period (2014-2018, n = 206, +10%).
The assumption that, with the increasingly accessible option of AS for patients with cancer, CS suicide will become "superfluous" cannot be confirmed. There are strong reasons indicating that situations and circumstances of cancer-associated CS are different from those for cancer-associated AS.
By using data from the Federal Statistical Office, we analyzed the long-term development of 30,756 self-initiated deaths in Switzerland over a 20-year period (1999-2018; CS: n = 22,018, AS: n = 8738), focusing on people suffering from cancer who died from AS or CS.
While cancer was the most often listed principal disease for AS (n = 3580, 41.0% of AS cases), cancer was listed in only a small minority of CS cases (n = 832, 3.8% of CS cases). There was a significant increase in the absolute number of cancer-associated AS cases: comparing four 5-year periods, there was approximately a doubling of cases every 5 years (1999-2003: n = 228 vs.2004-2008: n = 474, +108% compared with the previous period; 2009-2013: n = 920, +94%; 2014-2018: n = 1958, +113%). The ratio of cancer-associated AS in relationship with all cancer-associated deaths increased over time to 2.3% in the last observation period (2014-2018). In parallel, the numbers of cancer-associated CS showed a downward trend only at the beginning of the observation period (1999-2003, n = 240 vs. 2004-2008, n = 199, -17%). Thereafter, the number of cases remained stable in the subsequent 5-year period (2009-2013, n = 187, -6%), and increased again toward the most recent period (2014-2018, n = 206, +10%).
The assumption that, with the increasingly accessible option of AS for patients with cancer, CS suicide will become "superfluous" cannot be confirmed. There are strong reasons indicating that situations and circumstances of cancer-associated CS are different from those for cancer-associated AS.
PID Serval
serval:BIB_B5FAFD3158AD
PMID
Open Access
Oui
Date de création
2023-10-03T08:03:40.978Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T22:16:34Z
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Nom
37554017_BIB_B5FAFD3158AD.pdf
Version du manuscrit
published
Taille
694.88 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
PID Serval
serval:BIB_B5FAFD3158AD.P001
URN
urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_B5FAFD3158AD7
Somme de contrôle
(MD5):f89c8e2d5936ac650c86d83640c2369b