U.S. researchers have uncovered a sad statistic in relation to euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands – more than half of the patients studied cited loneliness as the key motivation behind the decision to end their life.

The Catholic Herald is reporting on researchers from the National Institutes of Health who analyzed 37 of 66 cases of Dutch citizens who chose euthanasia between 2111 and 2114 and found that 56 percent said it was “social isolation” that led them to choose death.

Overall, about a third of the people helped to end their lives were age 70 years or older, 44 percent were between ages 50 and 70 and about a quarter were 30 to 50 years old. Seventy percent were women.

The study, led by Dr. Scott Kim, also found that the Netherlands was operating a kind of de facto policy of euthanasia on demand, with patients “shopping” for doctors who would be willing to give them a lethal injection for trivial reasons. Some patients resorted euthanasia clinics or mobile unites to over-ride decisions of a family doctor who would not authorize their death.

Even more troubling is the fact that 55 percent of patients were diagnosed with depression – which is treatable – and the others had conditions including psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety, eating disorders, prolonged grief and autism, yet only a quarter of the patients suicides were assisted by psychiatrists.

In fact, about one in 10 patients received no outside input from psychiatrists and a quarter of the cases involved disagreement between the doctors who were treating the patient.

Dr. Paul Applebaum of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry in New York City wrote in an editorial about the study that the research raises “serious concerns about the implementation of physician-assisted dying for psychiatric patients.”

The research findings are indeed alarming, especially when considering that this is occurring in spite of Dutch law which allows euthanasia to be used only if a patient is suffering unbearably from an untreatable condition.

Since its publication in the JAMA Psychiatry, experts from around the world have warned that it is not possible to effectively regulate euthanasia or assisted suicide despite the numerous “guidelines” that are often imposed.

Lord Carlile of Berriew, a who is a patron of the UK’s Living and Dying Well think-tank, said: “It’s another example of the very poor way in which this scheme is administered in the Netherlands. It is shocking really because the Netherlands is a very civilized country and a well-organized country but they are not somehow able to keep a check on those cases of people who are undergoing euthanasia when the reality is that they need more company and better social work.”

Phil Friend, a spokesman for Not Dead Yet UK, a disability group, said the practice of killing people because they were lonely shows just how far down the “slippery slope” Holland has slid since legalizing euthanasia in 2002.

“This started with other people feeling they should be able to end other people’s lives because of their suffering and now we have got to the point where we are ending people’s lives just because they are lonely,” he said.

“Where does it end? It is a crazy situation. What we should be thinking about is what do we do to help older lonely people? Are we going to euthanize them instead of helping them to find ways to make their lives more interesting, fun and pleasant?”

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