Assisted suicide following discharge from psychiatric hospital

Assisted suicid has become a topic often and controversally discussed in international literature. Psychiatry and mentally ill, however, have been neclected, probably because the question of competence of judgement and will are a major issue in this matter. Two cases are reported, one of a 60-year old man and a women of 87 years, who have committed suicid a few days after having been dismissed from stationary psychiatric care. The reason of admission had been a psychotic event with manifest AIDS-disease in the first, the public utterance of her wish to die with support of, the Swiss,Help to Die'' organization ,,Exit'', in the latter. Ethics and means of preentive interventions in such cases are discussed.