The Netherlands just crossed a chilling threshold: in 2024, nearly 10,000 people—including alcoholics and those battling depression—were euthanized, a record high that’s jolting the global debate over assisted death into overdrive. According to a report by Bruno Waterfield in The Times on March 24, 2025, the country saw 9,958 euthanasia deaths last year—a 10% jump from 9,068 in 2023. That’s an 88% surge since 2014, painting a stark picture of a nation where ending life is becoming less exception and more routine. Waterfield revealed that 219 of those deaths were for psychiatric reasons alone—up from 138 in 2023 and a mere 88 in 2020. That’s a 59% spike in just one year and a staggering 250% climb over four years. Young people in mental distress are increasingly among the casualties, a trend that’s raising red flags worldwide. The Netherlands’ experience screams a warning: extending euthanasia to psychiatric cases opens a door that’s hard to shut.