Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in Suicide Attempts - 2495 Words

Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in Suicide Attempts Nursing 410 Introduction The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a fact sheet of statistics on suicide in the United States. In 2007, it is reported that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death. Furthermore, for every suicide committed, eleven were attempted. A total of 34,598 deaths occurred from suicide with an overall rate of 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. (NIMH, 2010). Risk factors were also noted on this report and listed â€Å"depression and other mental disorders, or a substance abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than ninety percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors (NIMH, 2010).† Since the†¦show more content†¦A patient may give clues with or without realizing they have done so; therefore, the nurse needs to be cognizant of such and relay the information to the physician. Even if the patient has a terminal illness and has decided to end his life, the nurse who has picked up on this decision still needs to relay this information to the physician for it to be explored further. Ethical Implications An ethical dilemma arises when a patient who has an advance directive and/or a DNR in place attempts suicide. â€Å"The idea of saving people vs. allowing people to die or commit suicide is at the very essence of one of the most debated and controversial dilemmas today. As long as there is difficulty in determining rationality in suicide, this controversy will remain (Butts amp; Rich, 2008).† Not only do the principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence collide with one another, but legal, religious, and/or economic values are also impacted (Cook, Pan, Silverman, amp; Soltys, 2010). According to Butts and Rich, â€Å"rational suicide is a self-slaying based on reasoned choice and categorized as voluntary active euthanasia and that individuals who contemplate rational suicide have a realistic assessment of life circumstances, are free from severe emotional distress, and have a motivation that would seem understandable to most uninvolved people in their communit y.† Contrary to that statement is the finding in the various articles read indicating that individuals whoShow MoreRelatedMoral And Ethical Dilemma Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pagesto have left a note prior to the accident, stating he is too heartbroken to go on, suicide note is not a legal document. More-over no one can say with certainty that the patient was competent when he wrote the note. In an article in which a group of physicians examine the issue of resuscitation, analogy was made between someone shot in a gang drive-by and self-inflicted gun-shot wound. If you’re able to resuscitate in the first case, a self-inflicted gun-shot wound is no different. Nurses are ethicallyRead MoreAdvocates Against Assisted Suicide Advocates Essay1681 Words   |  7 PagesAdvocates against assisted suicide argue that the untaken medication will be dispersed to a larger group of people than just the terminally ill it was intended for. A little over 40% of the population of individuals that received life-ending medication did not even take the medication (Keown 172). Keown details a summary of the prescriptions ingested in 2015 as of this current January. All of the medications that a prescription was written for were carefully tracked and observed. The Death with DignityRead MoreMoral Question of Hastening the Death of a Terminally Ill Patient1220 Words   |  5 Pagesand by legalizing physician assisted suicide would lead to abuses by the medical field. 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The same examination of history shows that separating the worthy from those who areRead MoreDo-Not-Resuscitate: Legal and Ethical Issues Essay3308 Words   |  14 PagesDo-Not-Resuscitate: Legal and Ethical Issues Most cultures value life and bringing persons back from the dead is a popular subject of many fictional books. However, as technology evolves and the story of Frankenstein reborn with a bolt of lighting has come true with the external or implanted defibrillators, the natural process of death slows as much of society gains the knowledge to live longer than nature intended. The Red Cross Association taught many organizations like the girl and boy scoutsRead MoreThe Face Of Physician Assisted Suicide Or Pas1862 Words   |  8 PagesIn 2014, Brittany Maynard became the face for those supporting physician assisted suicide or PAS. At 29 years old and newly married, Maynard was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and immediately underwent a partial craniotomy and partial resection. 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