Man cuts off foot, throws it in furnace to avoid job assignment

[Demeter]

16. Mental Illness is a Tragedy, Not a Comedy

I just had the experience of providing care for an elderly woman whose goal in life was to die. She wanted to die in the worst way. She finally succeeded last week. And it was pretty bad, not what one would call a good death.

I watched her reject medical advice, offers of assistance, play games with her eating, sleeping and medications, but there was no way I could do anything about it, nor could her family. She needed assisted living, but categorically refused it. I watched her health decline like an avalanche, and when I suggested hospice, you would have thought I'd offered to off her myself. She was dead 12 days later, without it.