So, one may ask, what is the main cause for euthanasia? Of course it would be the relentless, unforgiving pain, right? Wrong. Numerous sources and research studies have come up with the conclusion that the main reason for terminally ill patients choosing to undergo euthanasia is depression, a symptom which is hardly life-threatening. In a survey conducted by The Journal of the American Medical Association of terminally ill patients and their attitudes towards euthanasia, they concluded that "depressive symptoms and other psychological factors, such as feeling unappreciated, appear to be more determinants of both patients" personal interest in euthanasia and PAS (physician-assisted suicide) and the instability of this interest." The actual statistics show that in individuals who showed depressive symptoms, 19.5% showed a personal interest, compared to only 8.7% who showed no depressive symptoms; furthermore, in those feeling unappreciated 22.0% showed a personal interest in PAS, while a mere 8.4% showed interest in those feeling appreciated. Take into account these are actual terminally ill patients who must seriously consider this option for their own well-being that gave the previous results. These are not the opinions of bystanders who try to pretend they know what the reasons are for patients undergoing euthanasia or PAS.
One other interesting result that came of this survey was the precariousness of the patients" decisions to undergo euthanasia for themselves. In the initial interview of 988 terminally ill patients, 71 had seriously considered euthanasia for themselves. In a follow-up interview six months later, 35 patients still seriously considered euthanasia for themselves, 36 patients changed their mind and 29 new patients were seriously considering it. This alarming statistic is the most pivotal reason why opponents of euthanasia form their opinions.
