title: A psychiatric perspective of dialysis discontinuation.
abstract: In the 1970s, the suicide rate of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was calculated by conflating deaths from obvious clinical suicide attempts with deaths caused by lethal noncompliance and deaths preceded by dialysis discontinuation. Three decades later, although society's view about cessation of life-support treatment has markedly changed, relatively little is known about the psychiatric aspects of dialysis discontinuation. This paper reviews the literature and suggests a number of findings that warrant further research investigation.
authors: Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts 01199, USA. Lewis.Cohen@bhs.org
authors: Lewis M
authors: LM
authors: Cohen
authors: J Michael
authors: JM
authors: Bostwick
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Mirot
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Garb
authors: Gregory
authors: G
authors: Braden
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Germain
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States