Belgian doctors deny Youtuber’s claims they will assist her dying

Medic says country is tired of acting as ‘death ward’ for France as Olympe, 23, tells followers of ‘appointment’

A FRENCH Youtuber who told followers she is travelling to Belgium for assisted suicide to end the suffering of ADHD and multiple personality disorder has been rebuffed by doctors.

Olympe, as she is known to her 255,000 subscribers, said she was in talks with doctors across the border to end her life this year, in a case that has shocked France.

But yesterday a Belgian doctor ruled out helping the 23-year-old who runs a hit channel on mental health issues, including split personality disorders.

The expert said Belgium was tired of acting as a “death ward” for France, where medically assisted suicide is still banned. It has been legal for 20 years in Belgium, and about 2,500 people are euthanised every year.

Suffering from dissociative identity disorder, or DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, Olympe posts regular videos on living with about 40 “personalities” and debunks cliches over the condition. She also fields questions on ADHD and other disorders she suffers from.

In her posts, Olympe explains that moving from one “alter” to another causes her to change mood and preferences and this “dissociation” can result in blackouts and memory loss.

This weekend French media relayed a post in which she announced that she wished to end her life in Belgium because she could no longer handle the burden of her mental disorders and the trauma that triggered them. She said these included child sexual abuse, gang rape and moving between various foster homes.

Olympe – not her real name but one she says all her other personalities or “alters” identify with – said: “In the last quarter of 2023 I will have recourse to assisted suicide in Belgium. I am already in contact with the doctors.”

However, Belgian doctor Yves de Locht told Le Parisien that the idea that one could simply book an assisted suicide like a “euthanasia dispenser” was “rubbish”. “I haven’t yet seen her medical dossier but I’ve read her emails. She wants to meet me,” he confirmed.

“We do not refuse to meet people like her, but explain to them that the process can last months or even years. This young woman has announced the end of her life at the end of the year. This date certainly doesn’t come from me! I need much more information before envisaging meeting her,” he said.

Olympe said: “I have received lots of messages from people saying ‘Is that the message you want to give to young people, is that example you want to give?’

“I don’t wish this on anyone. I ask all those people who have dark thoughts to find people around them to lean on, to get their taste for life back because life is incredible and has lots to offer.

“But you know, there comes a point when I can’t live for others.”

Last year it emerged that doctors helped Shanti De Corte, 23, end her life.

The fact that she had made the choice due to a mental health problem, rather than as a result of a painful or terminal physical disease, prompted Belgian prosecutors to investigate her case.