About IAADM
The mission of IAADM is to foster international multidisciplinary collaboration in education, research, and clinical care regarding medical assistance in dying (MAID) for individuals with mental disorders to support the clinical, ethical, legal, and societal debate. The association achieves this by assembling a multidisciplinary group of medical and scientific professionals with specific interests and expertise in various clinical, legal, ethical, and research aspects of assisted dying for people with mental disorders.
The IAADM is dedicated to four core pillars:
The IAADM organizes following activities:
- Network meetings for members: Held four times a year for 90 minutes, revolving around the four pillars:
- Training and education:
Vision
Within a mental health setting, persons requesting for MAID should be treated with utmost seriousness by their (mental) health professionals. Regardless of the eventual outcome of the MAID trajectory and the legal landscape, an open discussion is greatly valued by these persons. MAID should be seamlessly incorporated into the continuum of end-of-life care for those grappling with psychiatric disorders.
An individual’s recourse to the MAID procedure is not simply an alternative means of realizing death; for some, it serves as a beacon of hope as they seek clarification on their eligibility, a re-evaluation or reassessment of their prolonged clinical journey, thus nurturing a sense of rehabilitation. Others request MAID to be informed of their ineligibility for it and thus to restore hope. Consequently, requests for MAID can be viewed as a prospective therapeutic intervention aimed at averting feelings of hopelessness and the risk of suicidal ideation. However, this also underscores the imperative for broader options beyond mortality, including rehabilitative efforts and palliative care strategies tailored to complex psychiatric and other needs. Ultimately, MAID as a viable option should only be considered after exhausting all reasonable psychiatric and psychosocial interventions.
In jurisdictions where MAID is sanctioned for persons with mental health conditions, comprehensive education on the options and ramifications should be provided to ensure informed decision-making. Similarly, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers in regions where medical assistance in dying remains prohibited should have equitable access to global scientific knowledge and clinical expertise, free from bias or restriction. In jurisdictions where MAID is legalized for persons with mental disorders, it is imperative to provide comprehensive education and sufficient knowledge on the options and ramifications to all stakeholders involved, ensuring informed decision-making. Similarly, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers in regions where medical assistance in dying is currently prohibited should have equitable access to global scientific knowledge and clinical expertise, free from bias.
WHO ARE WE?
Dr. Radboud M. Marijnissen
Psychiatrist
Radboud Marijnissen is a psychiatrist and senior researcher. He is working as head patient care and member of the board of the department of psychiatry in the University Medical Center Groningen (the Netherlands). From his background as old age psychiatrist he is focusing on important issues of end-of-life of people with psychiatric disorder or dementia. He is chair of the department Euthanasia and Psychiatry of the Dutch Psychiatric Association and chair of ThaNet, a Dutch network for persistent wishes to die and euthanasia requests on psychiatric basis. Recently he also founded PsyPal+ a Dutch network for palliative care in psychiatry and addiction care. He hopes to foster multidisciplinary collaboration in education, research and clinical care on advanced care planning, palliative care and medical assistance in dying (MAID) in people with mental disorders.
Prof. Dr. Kenneth Chambaere
Sociologist
Kenneth Chambaere is sociologist and Professor of Public Health, Sociology & Ethics of the End of Life at the End-of-Life Care Research Group (Ghent University & Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in Belgium. Most of his previous and current research is focused on assisted dying/euthanasia, particularly for persons who are in structurally vulnerable positions.
Prof. dr. R. C. Oude Voshaar
Psychiatrist
Richard Oude Voshaar is professor of geriatric psychiatry at University of Groningen and chairs the department of geriatric psychiatry at the University Medical Center Groningen. His research focuses on late-life affective disorders and their interaction with physical and cognitive ageing. He is a licensed SCEN-physician (SCEN=Support and Consultation for Euthanasia in the Netherlands) in his addition to his medical specialization in psychiatry.
Dr. Monica Verhofstadt
Dr. Monica Verhofstadt is an expert with personal experience in the field of mental illness and the complexities surrounding death ideation. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and recently completed her PhD in 2022, with a dissertation titled "Euthanasia in the Context of Adult Psychiatry: Walking the Tightrope. Between Life and Death". During her academic journey in clinical psychology, Monica dedicated her time to volunteering at two Belgian end-of-life information and consultation centers, LEIF Antwerp and Vonkel. Her work in these centers deepened her compassion for individuals facing end-of-life ideation based on psychiatric grounds,
significantly guiding her academic research pursuit. She further explored the many ethical and clinical challenges surrounding euthanasia on psychiatric grounds from the perspectives of the patients, their caregivers, and their loved ones.
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