Berger D, Fukunishi I, O'Dowd M A, Hosaka T, Kuboki T, Ishikawa Y
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Tokyo University Branch Hospital, Japan.
Psychother Psychosom. 1997;66(6):319-28. doi: 10.1159/000289155.
The attitudes of the psychiatrists in Japan and the US were compared in order to investigate their ideas on whether patients in general medical hospitals who have a desire to die should be allowed to do so or be assisted in this regard, and whether they require psychiatric evaluation and intervention, and the cultural influences on these attitudes.
Japanese and American general hospital psychiatrists' attitudes towards the reasonability of suicide, physician-assisted suicide, and removal of life supports under various medical and psychosocial situations were compared. Seventy-two American and 62 Japanese psychiatrists' data were collected using the Suicidal Attitudes Inventory.
The majority of both American and Japanese psychiatrists agreed that there may be times when suicidal ideation or completed suicide in med-surg patients could be reasonable. Significantly more Japanese psychiatrists responded with some agreement to the reasonability of suicide when one is unable to fulfill social role expectations, and had more concern about causing suicidal ideation by informing terminal patients of their diagnosis.
The results indicate that psychiatrists' attitudes towards the relationship of psychopathology with suicidal ideation, the effect of depression, and other cultural factors on the desire to die in the medically ill are issues that need better clarification among both the medical profession as well as within society. Looking at how other societies handle these matters may help to understand one's own approach to them.
比较日本和美国精神科医生的态度，以调查他们对于综合医院中想要自杀的患者是否应被允许自杀或在此方面得到协助，以及他们是否需要精神科评估和干预的看法，以及文化对这些态度的影响。
比较日本和美国综合医院精神科医生在各种医疗和社会心理情况下对自杀合理性、医生协助自杀以及撤除生命支持的态度。使用自杀态度量表收集了72名美国和62名日本精神科医生的数据。
大多数美国和日本精神科医生都同意，在内科/外科患者中，有时自杀观念或自杀行为可能是合理的。当一个人无法满足社会角色期望时，明显更多的日本精神科医生对自杀的合理性表示有些认同，并且更担心告知晚期患者其诊断会引发自杀观念。
结果表明，精神科医生对于精神病理学与自杀观念的关系、抑郁症的影响以及其他文化因素对患病者求死欲望的影响等态度，是医学界和社会都需要更好阐明的问题。观察其他社会如何处理这些问题可能有助于理解自己处理这些问题的方式。
