Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Int Rev Psychiatry. 2010;22(3):288-93. doi: 10.3109/09540261.2010.484017.
Suicide is a major global public health problem with an estimated one million deaths every year. It is one of the most personal yet one of the most complex acts anyone can perform, as it goes to the very core of the concept of human existence and the meaning of life. The philosophical debate on suicide has spanned centuries with no clear answers. Juxtaposed within the various perspectives that suicide can be studied from is the ethical perspective that brings into sharp focus the conflict between personal autonomy and societal responsibility towards suicidal individuals. Mental health professionals find themselves in the midst of this conflict as they are assumed to have the responsibility to prevent suicide in their patients, while patients' responsibility towards themselves is frequently overlooked. Mental health professionals need to be aware of the ethical concerns that arise in the care of suicidal patients.
自杀是一个全球性的主要公共卫生问题，每年估计有 100 万人自杀。这是任何人都可以做出的最个人化但也是最复杂的行为之一，因为它涉及到人类存在的概念和生命的意义的核心。关于自杀的哲学争论已经跨越了几个世纪，没有明确的答案。在可以从各种角度研究自杀的情况下，伦理学观点将个人自主权与社会对自杀者的责任之间的冲突突显出来。精神健康专业人员发现自己处于这种冲突之中，因为他们被认为有责任防止患者自杀，而患者对自己的责任经常被忽视。精神健康专业人员需要意识到在照顾自杀患者时出现的伦理问题。
