A 17-year-old from the Netherlands who wrote about her struggles after being raped has died following posting on social media that she needed to be released from her suffering.
Noa Pothoven wrote an autobiography called Winning or Learning in which she discussed her battles with mental illness after having been molested and raped as a child.
In the book she talks about trauma she suffered from post-traumatic disorder, depression and anorexia after her ordeals.
She recently announced in a post to her 10,000 followers on Instagram that she had chosen to die. Her sister then announced her death on Sunday, according to Dutch newspaper AD.
In the post, Ms Pothoven wrote: “I deliberated for quite a while whether or not I should share this, but decided to do it anyway. Maybe this comes as a surprise to some, given my posts about hospitalisation, but my plan has been there for a long time and is not impulsive.
“I will get straight to the point: within a maximum of 10 days I will die. After years of battling and fighting, I am drained."
She went on to say that she had been fighting for years, was now “drained” and that she feels she had never been alive, but was just “surviving”.
“I have quit eating and drinking for a while now, and after many discussions and evaluations, it was decided to let me go because my suffering is unbearable,” Ms Pothoven wrote.
“Love is letting go, in this case.”
She also asked that people not try to convince her otherwise.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org
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