The physician's attitudes and those of the patient's family members play a role in suicide ideation. Using a variety of instruments, researchers have found that attitudes about suicide and PAS depend upon religious views, age, politics, gender and race. A physician plays a major role in the care of his or her patient. If the physician is male, White and not religious, and is approached by his patient regarding suicide, his attitude can affect the patient's decision to end his life. Studies have found that psychiatrists were most likely to support PAS than any other medical specialty.
Psychiatrists have a high suicide rate.
Sigmund Freud, one of the best-known psychiatrists, died by suicide. Suffering from cancer, he ended his pain on September 26, 1939. Studies have found that those working closely with the terminally ill desire to prolong life and to relieve their patients' suffering by finding the means other than suicide. The studies show that a majority of physicians don't favor euthanasia or PAS, and most are unwilling to participate in the ending of their patient's life. Dickenson, et al.