Nisha Pandey

Impact Of Canada’s MAID Delay For Mental Illness: Patients Say They Feel Abandoned & Hopeless

For Canadians living with severe mental illnesses, the latest delay in making mental disorders eligible for <span>Medical Assistance in Dying</span> (MAID) has reignited feelings of despair. People who had hoped the law would eventually recognize unbearable psychological suffering say they now feel abandoned by a system that has repeatedly postponed the change.

<h2>Impact Of Canada’s Latest MAID Decision</h2>

Many patients told the media that after years of exhausting treatment options, the repeated delay in making mental illness eligible for <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/noelia-castillo-25-year-old-spanish-woman-dies-by-euthanasia-after-long-legal-battle-harish-rana-passive-euthanasia-article-153944127" data-type="tilCustomLink">MAID</a> has left them feeling as though they have “nothing” left to hope for.

One woman, Ann, who has lived with severe mental illness for decades, told CTV News she has tried virtually every available treatment, including medications, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine therapy, but nothing has eased her suffering.

She said the repeated delays have left her feeling “absolutely abandoned,” adding, “They've left me with nothing.” 

Another patient, Nicole, said she has struggled with debilitating psychiatric illness for years despite receiving extensive treatment.

She told the media that knowing MAID might one day become available had given her a sense of comfort, even if she never ultimately chose it. With the expansion postponed again, she says that reassurance has disappeared.

Read more: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/men-account-for-nearly-3-out-of-4-suicides-in-india-are-we-ignoring-a-growing-mens-mental-health-crisis-article-154930642" data-type="tilCustomLink">Men Account For Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Suicides In India — Are We Ignoring A Growing Men's Mental Health Crisis?</a>

<h2>Why Has Canada Delayed Making Mental Illness Eligible For MAID?</h2>

Canada currently allows MAID for eligible adults experiencing irremediable, incurable and untreatable physical illnesses under a strict legal framework. However, people with severe mental illness who are struggling to get better still remain ineligible.

The federal government has delayed the expansion several times, with eligibility now expected no earlier than March 2027.

More recently, a parliamentary committee recommended indefinitely excluding <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/canadian-parliamentary-panel-urges-indefinite-ban-on-assisted-dying-for-mental-illness-alone-article-154674302" data-type="tilCustomLink">mental illness</a> as the sole qualifying condition, arguing that Canada is not yet equipped to implement the policy safely and fairly.

Supporters of expanding MAID say the current law unfairly discriminates between physical and psychological suffering. They argue that some people with severe psychiatric disorders endure decades of relentless symptoms despite exhausting every treatment option available.

Critics, however, say determining whether a mental illness is truly “irremediable” remains far more difficult than for many physical illnesses. Experts also warn that physicians currently lack reliable tools to distinguish a sustained request for MAID from suicidal thinking that may improve with treatment.

Mental health specialists have also emphasized that gaps in access to psychiatric care, housing, and social support must be addressed before eligibility is broadened.

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has argued that while psychological suffering can be just as profound as physical suffering, more evidence and safeguards are needed before extending MAID to mental illness alone.

<h2>MAID Accounts For About 5% of Deaths in Canada</h2>

According to the latest available figures from 2024, MAID accounts for around 5 per cent of all deaths in Canada. About 96 per cent of MAID cases involved people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable, most of them terminal cancer patients.

The remaining 4 per cent involved patients whose deaths were not imminent but who had a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

As one of Canada's most controversial healthcare policies continues to be debated, people like Ann and Nicole say they remain caught in limbo, waiting for a decision that could change the choices available to those living with severe, enduring mental illness. 

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For Canadians living with severe mental illnesses, the latest delay in making mental disorders eligible for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has reignited feelings of despair. People who had hoped the law would eventually recognize unbearable psychological suffering say they now feel abandoned by a system that has repeatedly postponed the change. Impact Of Canada’s Latest MAID Decision Many patients told the media that after years of exhausting treatment options, the repeated delay in making mental illness eligible for MAID has left them feeling as though they have “nothing” left to hope for. One woman, Ann, who has lived with severe mental illness for decades, told CTV News she has tried virtually every available treatment, including medications, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine therapy, but nothing has eased her suffering. She said the repeated delays have left her feeling “absolutely abandoned,” adding, “They've left me with nothing.” Another patient, Nicole, said she has struggled with debilitating psychiatric illness for years despite receiving extensive treatment. She told the media that knowing MAID might one day become available had given her a sense of comfort, even if she never ultimately chose it. With the expansion postponed again, she says that reassurance has disappeared.Read more: Men Account For Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Suicides In India — Are We Ignoring A Growing Men's Mental Health Crisis? Why Has Canada Delayed Making Mental Illness Eligible For MAID? Canada currently allows MAID for eligible adults experiencing irremediable, incurable and untreatable physical illnesses under a strict legal framework. However, people with severe mental illness who are struggling to get better still remain ineligible. The federal government has delayed the expansion several times, with eligibility now expected no earlier than March 2027. More recently, a parliamentary committee recommended indefinitely excluding mental illness as the sole qualifying condition, arguing that Canada is not yet equipped to implement the policy safely and fairly. Supporters of expanding MAID say the current law unfairly discriminates between physical and psychological suffering. They argue that some people with severe psychiatric disorders endure decades of relentless symptoms despite exhausting every treatment option available. Critics, however, say determining whether a mental illness is truly “irremediable” remains far more difficult than for many physical illnesses. Experts also warn that physicians currently lack reliable tools to distinguish a sustained request for MAID from suicidal thinking that may improve with treatment. Mental health specialists have also emphasized that gaps in access to psychiatric care, housing, and social support must be addressed before eligibility is broadened.             The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has argued that while psychological suffering can be just as profound as physical suffering, more evidence and safeguards are needed before extending MAID to mental illness alone.MAID Accounts For About 5% of Deaths in CanadaAccording to the latest available figures from 2024, MAID accounts for around 5 per cent of all deaths in Canada. About 96 per cent of MAID cases involved people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable, most of them terminal cancer patients.The remaining 4 per cent involved patients whose deaths were not imminent but who had a "grievous and irremediable medical condition". As one of Canada's most controversial healthcare policies continues to be debated, people like Ann and Nicole say they remain caught in limbo, waiting for a decision that could change the choices available to those living with severe, enduring mental illness. 

impact of canada’s maid delay for mental illness: patients say they feel abandoned & hopeless

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Impact Of Canada’s MAID Delay For Mental Illness: Patients Say They Feel Abandoned & Hopeless

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