At least 172 people died from taking suicide drug X
Those in the Netherlands in life threatening danger should immediately dial 112 for emergencies, and anyone suffering from depression or contemplating suicide can call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie at any time by dialing either 113 or 0800-0113, or by visiting 113.nl.
At least 172 people died after taking the suicide drug “X” between 2015 and 2022, the 113 Suicide Prevention Foundation and GGD Amsterdam reported after studying the matter. Earlier this week, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded up to 2.5 years in prison against seven people suspected of distributing the suicide drug.
The researchers studied data from forensic medical services and Statistics Netherlands from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2022. They found 172 deaths linked to drug X. The number of people who took their own lives with drug Z increased annually between 2018 and 2021, from around 10 to 50. In 2022, there were 42 cases.
The largest group (38 percent) was over 70 years old, but the average age of people who died by using the suicide drug was 59. “These figures show that it is a very diverse group with people from all age categories and that the group does not only consist of elderly people who make a well-considered choice,” researcher Lizanne Schweren told NRC.
Autopsy reports showed that 120 people (70 percent) had a “psychiatric history,” like depression or anxiety disorders. 19 percent had filed euthanasia requests, which were rejected in more than half of the cases.
The 113 Suicide Prevention Foundation and GGD Amsterdam published the results in January but deliberately did not seek publicity. NRC was the first to report about this study on Wednesday. Though the researchers did share the adults with the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Public Health.
“Communicating about methods of suicide carries the risk of copying behavior,” researcher Schweren told NRC. “In the reporting about the trial surrounding drug X, we saw that it was assumed that there were no figures. That’s not right, and we wanted to correct that.”
