A 23-year-old YouTuber in France makes a public appeal for euthanasia, through her social media platforms, noting, among other things, that she is already in discussions with doctors.
Olympe suffers from multiple personality disorder (or dissociative identity disorder), having 40 different personalities, which according to her, leaves her no choice but to resort to assisted suicide.
As he characteristically stated, "(...) in the last quarter of 2023 I will resort to assisted suicide in Belgium (...) I am already in contact with the doctors (...) I am not discussing it. It is my life. It's a decision I made and it was difficult."
However, Belgian doctor Yves de Locht, who came forward, noted that doctors in Belgium are not "euthanasia dispensers" and that the process can even take years before someone can access assisted suicide services.
“I haven't seen her medical file, but I have read her emails. She wants to meet me (…) We do not refuse to meet people like the 23-year-old, but we explain to them that the process can take months or even years (…) This young woman announced the end of her life at the end of the year. This date is definitely not from me. I need a lot more information before I consider meeting her.''
Half a million followers
Olympe, who has a combined Instagram and YouTube following of more than half a million, said she could no longer handle the weight of her condition or its causes, which include sexual abuse and being moved around by various foster families in her life.
Significantly, 23-year-old Olympe's case comes after the death of another her age who suffered from mental health problems and chose to end her life in Belgium last year, raising questions about the influence social media has on such important issues.
Nevertheless, the young woman urges those with mental disorders to find people around them for support and emphasizes that she does not wish to be an "example" for other young people.
Euthanasia - in the sense of withdrawing or suspending life-sustaining treatments - is legal in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Spain. Assisted suicide, which gives the patient the means to end their own life, is illegal throughout Europe.
Dissociative identity disorder is a mental health condition. People who suffer from it have two or more separate identities. These personalities control their behavior at different times. Each identity has its own personal history and characteristics, which often leads to memory gaps and hallucinations.
It usually stems from experiences of sexual or physical abuse during childhood, or as a reaction to a natural disaster or other traumatic events.
SOURCE: in.gr