A successful Canadian actress and comedienne with family and friends who adore her says she will die by assisted suicide because she cannot overcome mental illnesses.
Claire Brosseau, 48, was diagnosed with manic depression when she was 14 years old after she went on a drug, alcohol and sex-filled spree.
Brosseau would later be identified as having anxiety, chronic suicidal ideation, an eating disorder, personality disorder, substance abuse disorder, PTSD, and a slew of other mental health conditions.
She attempted suicide countless times and has been treated by psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors across North America, she revealed in an open letter published to her Substack earlier this year.
She has tried dozens of medications, therapies and guided psychedelics in an attempt to improve her mental health, but to no avail, the New York Times reported.
Brosseau, who has neither a partner nor children, decided in 2021 that she would apply for euthanasia under Canada’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) program. She is now suing the Canadian government for the right to die by assissted suicide.
MAiD is a process that allows adults suffering from a ‘grievous and irremediable medical condition’ to end their life with the assistance of a doctor. Patients whose chronic illnesses are solely mental health-related, however, are not yet eligible for MAiD.
The mental health exclusion was set to end in March 2023 but has been delayed twice, meaning that Brosseau may not have access to MAiD until 2027. She is now taking legal action and has filed a complaint with the Ontario Superior Court alleging genuine rights violations.
Brosseau was an honors student at her Montreal high school, starred in plays and was relatively popular.
She graduated at 16 and was recruited to attend an elite drama college in Quebec, where she studied theatre performance for two years.
After graduation, she moved to New York City and continued her studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.
She gained steady work in musicals and films and gained good money in a line of work that leaves many struggling to make ends meet.
But just as she started to make a name for herself, she suffered another depressive episode that saw her struggle to eat and drown her emotions with booze and drugs.
Brosseau moved back to Montreal in her early 20s and was hospitalized for several months. And as her mental health began to improve and her career once again started to thrive.
She appeared on Entertainment Tonight Canada and The Strombo Show, a radio show hosted by Canadian broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos, Macleans reported.
She landed supporting roles in film and TV projects with James Franco and Daniel Stern, secured a deal with a comedy club chain, acted in commercials in Los Angeles and even got some writing gigs.
Although she was earning a lot of money and she even landed her ‘dream part’ in a European film, Brosseau said her mental health conditions still impeded her success.
‘I had a great place to stay and I was doing well on the film and I was having fun on set, and every night I would go back to my hotel and I would bawl and scream and rip my clothes apart.,’ she told the NY Times.
‘And cry and just — I wanted to kill myself and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. And then the next day at work, I’d be fine and I’d have so much fun.’
Brosseau vowed to get her life together after she stumbled and smashed her face into a curb at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards. She had been drunk and high on cocaine, according to Macleans.
She got sober, underwent treatment at an intensive psychiatric care unit and began a series of therapies. She also started taking prescribed antidepressant, antipsychotic, and anti-anxiety medications.
The actress remained in what she described as ‘remission’ for several years, but in 2021, as her career hit a low point, she attempted suicide again.
Brosseau says her mental health was so poor that she once ate peanuts, despite being allergic to them, in the hopes of triggering a fatal reaction.
She decided to pursue MAiD shortly after that, under the belief that it would be eligible for mental health patients in 2023.
She hosted a series of ‘farewell dinners’ with her friends, family and closest colleagues in which she revealed her intentions to end her life.
Canadian health authorities delayed the removal of MAiD’s mental health exclusion in 2023 and then again last year. The law is not expected to change until 2027.
Brosseau, alongside former war correspondent John Scully, who suffers from PTSD, is now suing the Canadian government for the right to die.
She has asked for ‘the same rights as others with incurable illnesses to choose when and how I die’ and alleged the current MAiD law is discriminatory.
The lawsuit has fueled an already heated national debate surrounding assisted suicide. Brosseau’s own psychiatrists are even at odds over her case.
Dr Gail Robinson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, told the NY Times that she believes MAiD is a reasonable choice for the actress.
Robison said she would ‘love’ for Brosseau to change her mind, but ‘will support her’ if she does get the green light for MAiD.
However, her other psychiatrist, Dr Mark Fefergrad, said ‘I believe she can get well’ and added that ‘I don’t think MAID is the best or only choice for her.’
Fefergrad believes that given the nature of her illness, Brosseau’s request for MAiD has to be considered differently from requests from patients with physical ailments.
For help and support, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988
