Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying that some readers may find distressing.
A woman who has been granted euthanasia on the grounds of her unbearable mental suffering has explained the complexities of the law which has allowed her to make her decision.
Zoraya ter Beek received the final approval from officials in the Netherlands last week which will allow her to carry out her wish to die by assisted suicide - and she expects this to take place in just a matter of weeks.
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The 29-year-old said she feels a sense of 'relief' knowing that the time is near after the 'long and complicated' three and a half year process she has had to go through since applying for assisted dying in December 2020.
The Dutch woman, who was once an aspiring psychiatrist, explained she can no longer go on while suffering from a range of mental health issues including chronic depression, anxiety and unspecified personality disorder.
Zoraya, who's struggles began in childhood, has also been diagnosed with autism.
She explained that she has undergone a series of treatments including therapy, medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but after10 years she felt she had exhausted all options and said there was 'nothing left' to help her.
"I thought I’d get better," the 29-year-old told the Guardian. "But the longer the treatment goes on, you start losing hope."
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Even when a new partner came into her life and she hoped that the safe environment he offered would help her mental state, Zoraya said she 'continued to self-harm and feel suicidal'.
The mental health sufferer said she has had plenty of time to mull over her decision since she submitted her application for euthanasia to the Dutch government and hasn't wavered in her stance once.
She continued: "In the three and a half years this has taken, I’ve never hesitated about my decision.
"I have felt guilt – I have a partner, family, friends and I’m not blind to their pain. And I’ve felt scared. But I’m absolutely determined to go through with it.
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"Every doctor at every stage says: 'Are you sure? You can stop at any point'.
"My partner has been in the room for most conversations in order to support me, but several times he has been asked to leave so the doctors can be sure I’m speaking freely."
Zoraya explained that the process of applying for assisted dying is extremely thorough and complex.
"People think that when you’re mentally ill, you can’t think straight, which is insulting," she said.
"I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying, and worries about people being under pressure to die.
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"But in the Netherlands, we’ve had this law for more than 20 years," she explained. "There are really strict rules, and it’s really safe.
"It’s not like you ask for assisted dying on a Monday and you’re dead by Friday. I was on a waiting list for assessment for a long time, because there are so few doctors willing to be involved in assisted dying for people with mental suffering. "Then you have to be assessed by a team, have a second opinion about your eligibility, and their decision has to be reviewed by another independent doctor."
Under Dutch law, which was passed in 2002, competent adults may be eligible for an assisted death under the condition that they are experiencing 'unbearable suffering with no prospect improvement'.
According to the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act, medics involved must also agree with this, while the applicant has to demonstrate that they are fully informed and capable of making such a decision.
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According to the Government of the Netherlands, the person must 'see 'euthanasia as the only escape from the situation', however, it added that 'patients have no absolute right to euthanasia and doctors no absolute duty to perform it'.
Zoraya said the process will take place at her home and will be 'like falling asleep'.
She added: "They’ll start by giving me a sedative, and won’t give me the drugs that stop my heart until I’m in a coma.
"My partner will be there, but I’ve told him it’s OK if he needs to leave the room before the moment of death.
"Now the point has come, we’re ready for it and we’re finding a certain peace. I feel guilty too. But sometimes when you love someone, you have to let them go."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Health, Mental Health, World News, News
Olivia Burke