In a shocking revelation, former Democratic Colorado Representative Yadira Caraveo reportedly made two suicide attempts in 2024 while serving in Congress and campaigning for reelection.
These incidents, which remained undisclosed until recently, have raised questions about the pressures of public life and the mental health of those in the political arena.
According to the Daily Caller, the suicide attempts occurred in February and April of 2024, both involving an overdose of prescription medication. These incidents necessitated emergency responses to Caraveo's home and congressional office. The information only surfaced as Caraveo announced her intention to run for Congress again this year.
Emergency records reveal that on February 8, 2024, police were called to Caraveo's residence in Thornton after her aides reported suicidal behavior. Caraveo allegedly confessed to officers that she had consumed 19 sleeping pills with alcohol, intending to "put me to sleep for a while." Following this, she was placed under a 72-hour mental health hold and transported to St. Anthony North Hospital for evaluation.
In a separate incident on April 6, 2024, Caraveo was found unresponsive at her Northglenn congressional office. She had reportedly ingested approximately 20 lorazepam pills, a sedative used to treat anxiety. Emergency responders treated the call as a potential overdose. On that day, Caraveo was scheduled to meet with Latino leaders and inaugurate her campaign headquarters. However, she was rushed to the hospital, and the campaign event proceeded in her absence.
Despite the seriousness of these episodes, Caraveo's office attempted to suppress the publication of the February incident by issuing a cease-and-desist letter the day before the election. The Colorado Sun, which reported these incidents, paused its reporting until Caraveo re-entered public life with a new campaign.
Former staffers, speaking anonymously, felt compelled to reveal these incidents after Caraveo downplayed their severity in a recent Colorado Public Radio interview. Caraveo described the February incident as a misunderstanding of a text message and claimed she took a dose of sleeping pills "just shy of" requiring ICU care. She also attributed the April overdose to a side effect of medication for a foot injury.
Medical documents and responder reports, however, contradict Caraveo's account. Sources confirmed to the outlet that the overdose involved lorazepam, not sleeping pills. Sheriff Gene Claps, a Caraveo endorser who appeared in her campaign ads, was present at the office that day but claimed he arrived after emergency personnel.
The Northglenn Police Department and Adams County Sheriffs Office denied The Suns open records requests for additional details, citing public interest exemptions and HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act]. Caraveo, a licensed physician, has not publicly addressed whether she ingested the medication before driving to her April campaign events.
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