In a new interview, Monica Lewinsky opens up about the toll the sandal surrounding her affair with then-U.S. President Bill Clinton took on her mental health.
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Speaking to CNN’s David Axelrod on “The Axe Files” podcast, the former White House intern and “Impeachment: American Crime Story” producer shared how the scandal led to thoughts of suicide.
“I just couldn’t see a way out. And and I thought that maybe that was the solution,” Lewinsky said, revealing that she had asked independent counsel Ken Starr’s team of lawyers what would happen if she died.
“How was there not a protocol?” she reflects. “That’s a point where you’re supposed to bring a psychologist in or, you know, something.”
Eventually, Lewinsky did begin seeing a forensic psychiatrist, who helped her through the stressful period.
“I think a lot of people who have ever had suicidal ideations find themselves in a moment where it’s just — it’s a moment of grace, like, you know, two roads diverged in the woods,” she said. “And the forensic psychiatrist picked up the phone. And so I was, you know, pretty, pretty lucky.”
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
