ASSISTED SUICIDE FOLLOWING DISCHARGE FROM PSYCHIATRIC-HOSPITAL

Assisted suicid has become a topic often and controversally discussed in international literature. Psychiatry and mentally ill, however, hav e been neclected, probably because the question of competence of judge ment and will are a major issue in this matter. Two cases are reported , one of a 60-year old man and a women of 87 years, who have committed suicid a few days after having been dismissed from stationary psychia tric care. The reason of admission had been a psychotic event with man ifest AIDS-disease in the first, the public utterance of her wish to d ie with support of, the Swiss,Help to Die'' organization ,,Exit'', in the latter. Ethics and means of preentive interventions in such cases are discussed.