Daniel Buchman, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Tuesday, May 27
12-1 pm PT
SPPH or zoom
Register to attend virtually (via Zoom), or in-person at SPPH. Daniel Buchman will speak in-person.
Palliative psychiatry is an emerging subfield of mental health care that focuses on improving quality of life and relieving suffering in people living with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI), rather than aiming solely for symptom remission or cure. Palliative psychiatry applies the principles of palliative care for physical health conditions to SPMI. While explorations of palliative psychiatry have been largely theoretical to date, more work is needed to not only develop its clinical approaches but also clarify the relevant ethical considerations. Discussions about whether palliative approaches can and should be applied in mental health care have intensified given recent discussions in Canada about medical assistance in dying for people with mental illness as their sole underlying condition. In this talk, I will explore some of the ethical dimensions related to palliative psychiatry, highlighting the key ethical challenges and opportunities that arise in its practice. I will also consider some of the broader health policy and service delivery implications of integrating palliative approaches into mental health systems.
Dr Daniel Buchman is a bioethicist and scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) where he directs the Everyday Ethics Lab. He also serves an associate professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and a member of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics. In addition, he is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Advisory Committee on Ethics and a member of the newly established Bioethics Council for Canada. Dr Buchman’s research is at the forefront of exploring ethical issues at the intersection of clinical practice and population health, with a particular focus on ethical issues related to mental health, substance use, and chronic pain. His work explores themes related to stigma, social justice, identity, and compassion, employing a multidisciplinary approach that combines conceptual and empirical methods. Dr Buchman’s scholarship has significantly influenced the fields of bioethics and mental health. He has a strong commitment to advancing ethical practices in healthcare, which continues to shape policies and improve patient care.
Register in advance for this seminar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This seminar is co-sponsored by CHSPR and the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics.