• Series Foreword


• Acknowledgments


• Introduction


• Chapter 1: "Sane" and "Insane" Suicide: The Law of Competence


• Chapter 2: The Right to Die, Involuntary Commitment, and the Constitution


• Chapter 3: Assisted Suicide in the States


• Chapter 4: International Perspectives in Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia


• Chapter 5: Assisted Suicide and the Medical Profession


• Chapter 6: Mental Health Professionals and Suicide


• Chapter 7: Types of Suicide


• Chapter 8: Discrimination on the Basis of Suicidality


• Chapter 9: Prevention and Treatment: Policy and Legal Barriers


• Chapter 10: Conclusion: People with Psychiatric Diagnoses and Assisted Suicide


• Appendix A: Model Statutes


• Appendix B: Survey of People Who Have Attempted Suicide


• 1. Survey: Experiences with Suicide


• 2. Final Results of Survey


• Table of Cases


• Bibliography


• Author Index


• Subject Index

Susan Stefan is the author of four books on law and policy relating to people with psychiatric disabilities and has worked nationally and internationally as a consultant on systems reform issues. She litigated class actions in state and federal court, has served as an expert witness, and was a Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law.

Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws argues that laws aimed at preventing suicide and laws aimed at facilitating it co-exist because they are based on two radically disparate conceptions of the would-be suicide. This is the first book that unifies policies and laws toward people who want to end their lives.