Warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders and depression which some readers may find distressing.
A 34-year-old woman has opened up as to why she plans to die by euthanasia today (25 April) despite being physically healthy.
Jolanda Fun, who hails from North Brabant in the Netherlands, made the decision to intentionally end her life due to psychiatric problems.
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Fun, who has lived her entire life in the village as her parents, Arie and Elly, has spent years struggling with her mental health.
She has suffered with an eating disorder, recurrent depression, autism as well as mild learning difficulties.
Fun, who was diagnosed at the age of 22, explained that every social situation feels like 'dark, overstimulation, chaos in my head, loneliness'.
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"Most of the time I just feel really sh*tty," she revealed to the Times. "Sad, down, gloomy. People don’t see it, because that’s the mask I put on and that’s what you learn to do in life."
Fun first decided she wanted to go down the euthanasia route two years back when her counsellor told her that Dutch laws permit euthanasia for psychiatric reasons.
In the Netherlands, doctor-assisted death is allowed if a doctor is satisfied a patient's suffering is 'unbearable with no prospect of improvement' and if there is 'no reasonable alternative in the patient's situation'.
Going into some more detail about her situation, Fun continued: "My father is sick, my mother is sick, my parents are fighting to stay alive, and I want to step out of life.
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"That’s a bit strange. But even when I was seven, I asked my mother whether, if I jumped from a viaduct, I would be dead. I’ve been struggling with this my whole life."
Fun is currently in a relationship with a 51-year-old man and revealed that he 'knew from the beginning that this would be coming'.
"But he really wants to have a good time together, and he still wants to," she added.
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Fun explained that the rules surrounding the process are 'very strict', continuing: "You don’t just get euthanasia, there’s a whole journey… But it is death in a dignified way: painless, done by a doctor. Your loved ones can be there.
"And nobody discovers you in an appalling state - or you don’t end up unlucky and even worse off than before [after attempting suicide]."
When asked whether she believed in life after death, she said: "I hope that there is nothing."
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Real Life, News, World News, Health
Rhiannon Ingle