Nicky van Wanrooij (25) from Tilburg did not see life anymore for years because he suffered from chronic cluster headaches. Now, as a council member of GroenLinks, he is campaigning for extra help for young people who suffer from depressive feelings.
According to the RIVM, more than 1 in 3 young people has depressive symptoms and 1 in 6 young people sometimes thinks of suicide. That touches Nicky, because he himself has had to deal with suicidal thoughts. “I always thought climate change was the most important thing in politics, but now I want to commit myself to this as well.” The city council unanimously approved his proposal.
“Headache doesn’t cover the charge.”
Nicky has been suffering from chronic cluster headaches since the summer of 2019. This brain disease is also known as a suicide headache. “The term headache doesn’t cover it. It’s a nerve pain in the head. According to doctors, this is one of the most painful conditions a person can suffer from.”
The disease therefore has a lot of influence on his daily life. “I had at least eight cluster attacks a day, where it feels like someone is stirring my eye with a knife, after which the pain radiates. In addition, you become very restless during an attack and you have to keep moving.” The attacks came so often that Nicky also suffered a study delay.
“I saw no way out.”
The attacks eventually caused Nicky to have suicidal thoughts. “You know that when the pain goes away, you’re going to have another attack very quickly. That way it becomes hopeless.” He suffered from the attacks for more than two and a half years. “More than once I have thought of giving up.”
Then came the rescue. In January, he was eligible for treatment: a neurostimulator was placed in his head that delivers light electrical impulses to certain nerves in the head. “The disease is not gone, but the attacks are a lot more bearable.”
“I regained hope and was able to focus on others again.”
After the surgery, things got a lot better, but it didn’t work right away. “That’s normal,” Nicky knows. The feelings of suicide did decrease: “I knew that a solution was being worked on. That gave hope again.” Now that the pain is more bearable, he says he has room to focus on others again.
Nicky understands that the cause of his suicidal thoughts is different from many other young people. “But I do understand how much of an impact it has on your life and how important it is that these people get support from society.”
The municipality now wants to pay extra attention to young people with depressive feelings and suicidal thoughts. According to Nicky, the attention that is currently being paid mainly goes to young people in secondary education, while many students and working young people also have these feelings.
He expects that a large part of the complaints is due to the fact that many young people experience school pressure. “I notice that education pays more attention to learning performance than how someone feels. Prevention is the most important. We now have to make sure that young people do not get complaints.”
“A walk-in consultation can help people”
He thinks the municipality can also help young people who already have complaints: “For example, other cities hold walk-in consultation hours for young people up to 25 years old. Tilburg has many professionals who help young people.”
Now that the motion has been passed, the council will start working on Nicky’s plans. An action plan is expected to be in place before March 2023.
Talking about suicidal thoughts can be anonymous: chat via www.113.nlcall 113 or call toll-free 0800-0113.