canada risks 'suicide contagion' if euthanasia is approved for mental illness, psychiatrist warns
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people with mental illnesses are already dying assisted deaths in canada “under the guise of flimsy medical excuses” and others will “doctor shop until death” if euthanasia is allowed for psychiatric suffering alone, mps and senators were told this week.
“i and other colleagues are experiencing this: people are clearly getting maid for reasons that are frankly illegal,” psychiatrist dr. john maher told a special joint parliamentary committee weighing canada’s readiness to extend assisted death to those whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.
maher, who specializes in treating severe mental illness, also warned canada risks a “suicide contagion” effect if medical assistance in dying (maid) becomes seen as a legitimate option for mental suffering. he pointed to the werther effect, a phenomenon that refers to a rise in suicides after publicized reports of celebrity deaths by suicide.
rates of suicide in jurisdictions that have legalized doctor-assisted death “have risen much faster after it was legalized than before,” he said.
“suicide contagion is a well-proven reality. don’t pretend that it won’t happen in canada,” he said.
the committee has heard conflicting testimony over the safety of expanding maid eligibility to those with mental illness alone, including over whether, or how, a mental disorder could be considered incurable.
maher, editor-in-chief of the journal of ethics in mental health, works with specialized teams that treat the most severe mental illnesses.
“for the last 23 years i’ve treated patients that other psychiatrists told me could not get better and they get better,” he told the committee.
“suffering can always be reduced…. there is absolutely no such thing as ‘everything has been tried,'” he said.
only one in three adults and one in five children in canada have access to needed mental-health care, leaving people to suffer from an “appalling and intentional lack of services,” he said.
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while the exclusion for mental illness is only due to expire in 2027, “people are getting maid for psychiatric reasons under the guise of flimsy medical excuses, prolific maid providers are happy to assist with suicide while people are on wait lists for effective treatment (and) maid is being offered to veterans, disabled people and people with very treatable illnesses,” maher said.
“people need lifeguards, not someone to push you under,” he said.
maher rejected the argument by maid proponents that a request for assisted death is well thought out while true suicides are impulsive.
“decades of suicide research put the lie to this: 80 per cent of suicide attempters thoughtfully plan their suicides,” he said.
“maid is suicide par excellence, like having a wedding planner to make it all as easy as possible, even with same-day service.”
at times, requests for maid are made urgently: in 2023, 54 requests for same day assessments and provision (less than 24 hours) were reported in ontario, and 154 provisions occurred the day after the maid request, according to ontario data.
conservative mp andrew lawton asked maher, “when you describe mental health as already qualifying people in the eyes of some assessors and providers for maid, you’re describing criminal misconduct, are you not?”
“i absolutely am,” maher responded. he said he had a patient with schizophrenia who was approved for maid based on a treatable skin condition and a sore ankle from not cooperating with physiotherapy for a broken ankle. “that is what’s happening. these are already happening,” he said.
maher told the committee he tried reporting his concerns with a doctor to a provincial college and was told “until the patient is dead there is no malpractice.”
“my teams are pulling their hair out over people planning to refuse medications so they can get get maid who would have healed, recovered,” he said.
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“i had a patient today (with) schizophrenia very, very cavalierly say if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend he’s going to get maid.”
university of ottawa law professor daphne gilbert said only a small, “very limited” number of people would ultimately qualify for maid solely for mental illness.
“this matters, because one justification for continued exclusion is the speculative claim that large numbers of people will become eligible if the ban is lifted,” said gilbert, who is also vice chair of the board of dying with dignity canada.
“there is no evidence to support that claim,” she told the committee.
denying maid to those with mental illness suggests they lack decision-making capacity, “must be protected from themselves and that their suffering is somehow less real, or less serious than physical illness.”
“in 2026, we are reinforcing historic stigma and paternalistic assumptions,” she said, adding that, despite campaigns like bell’s let’s talk encouraging people to have honest conversations about mental health, “the law continues to infantilize those with mental illness.”
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if you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, please contact 9-8-8: suicide crisis helpline by calling or texting 9-8-8 toll free. the service is available 24/7. if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
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