Table 3.
Setting and content of counselling and collection of lethal medication
| Counselee | Start of counselling (time ago) | Personal contacts, n | Involved others | Information about manners to end own life* | Collected lethal medicine | Counselling about mental aspects | Counselling about/of others |
| 1 | 2 months | 2 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining, careful performance, consequences of law, after death) | No | Meaning and expectations life and death, hope, passion, ambivalence, responsibility | Current relationships, effect of self-euthanasia on others, saying goodbye, consequences of law on others |
| 2† | 3 years | 6 | Yes | VSED, MED (which medication, obtaining, careful preparation, performance) | No | Death wish, meaning life and death, preparing for suicide, emotions | Effect of self-euthanasia on others, preparing others for goodbye, consequences of law on others |
| 3 | 3 months | 6 | Yes | PAD, Helium, MED (which medication, obtaining, after death) | Yes | Meaning completed life, death wish, fear of dying alone, emotions | Preparing others for goodbye |
| 4 | 1 year‡ | 1 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining, careful preparation (withdrawal), performance) | Yes | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| 5 | 8 years§ | 24 | Yes | MED (which medication, obtaining, storing, performance) | Yes | Meaning life and death | Current relationships, saying goodbye, presence of others |
| 6/7¶ | 5 years | 1 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining) | Yes | Intake, screening death wish | Not mentioned |
| 8 | 3–4 years | 1 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining, delivery) | Ordered | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| 9/10¶ | 2 years | 1 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining, storing, testing) | No | Intake, screening death wish | Meaning relationship |
| 11 | 1 year | 3 | Yes | MED (obtaining) | No | Righteousness to end own life | Counselling of others (system) |
| 12/13¶ | 3 years | 3 | Yes | PAD, MED (which medication, obtaining, storing) | Yes | Not mentioned | Counselling of others (system) |
| 14 | 10 years | 3 | No | PAD, VSED, Helium, MED (which medication, consequences of law, obtaining, careful performance, after death) | Yes | Meaning life (events), timing | Effect of self-euthanasia on others, consequences of law on others |
| 15 | 1 year | 1 | No | VSED, Helium, MED (which medication, careful performance, consequences of law, after death) | Yes | Current life situation (grief) | Preventing harm to others, consequences of law for others |
| 16 | 8–9 years | 3–4 | No | MED (which medication, obtaining) | Yes | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| 17 | 1 year | 1 | Yes | MED (which medication, obtaining) | Yes | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
*PAD: Physician assistance in dying (as under Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Review Procedures Act); VSED: Self-euthanasia by voluntary stopping of eating and drinking; Helium: Self-euthanasia by helium method; MED: Self-euthanasia by self-ingesting self-collected lethal medication.
†Partner present at interview to support with gaps in memory.
‡10 years ago present at counselling as partner.
§Received counselling 12 years ago from counsellor not active at time of interviews.
¶Couple together.