DIFFERENCE

ASSISTED SUICIDE is a model that includes both what has been called physician-assisted "suicide" and voluntary active euthanasia. It suggests a difference in the degree of involvement and behavior. 
Voluntary active euthanasia entails the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves intravenous delivery of a lethal substance. Physician-assisted suicide is seen to be far easier emotionally for the physician than euthanasia as he or she does not have to directly cause a death.

Physician-Assisted Suicide say that it carries the added benefit of allowing the patient to determine the time of death and provides the opportunity for the patient to change his or her mind up to the last moment.

EUTHANASIA contains a much smaller chance for mistakes and may be necessary in cases where a patient is too sick for self-administration, or no longer capable of swallowing, holding down food, or absorbing oral medication. If a patient knows that a physician can always intervene, the act of assisted death may be permanently postponed.

• How would one assess whether a disorder of mental nature qualifies mercy killing?
• What if the pain threshold is 
below optimum and the patient perceives the circumstances to be not worthy of living?
• How would one know whether 
the wish to die is the result of unbalanced thought process or a logical decision in mentally ill patients?
• What if the individual chooses assisted suicide as an option and the family would not agree?

 Please comment and let me know what you think.