Former Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s (D., Colo) staffers had to enter therapy after enduring the Colorado Democrat’s abusive behavior as she dealt with mental health struggles, including two suicide attempts witnessed by aides, the Colorado Sun reported Thursday.
Caraveo’s “frightening and traumatizing” behavior while serving in Congress and running for reelection last year prompted her aides to propose a safety plan, according to the Colorado Sun. They requested that sharp objects be removed from her offices and said they didn’t want to be responsible for talking her “through suicidal thoughts” or “keeping her company during a crisis.”
The plan was rejected and the aides were told they had to put up with Caraveo or resign within a day. But apparently it wasn’t just Caraveo’s well-being that was at risk. Former aides told the Colorado Sun that Caraveo—who’s again running for office in 2026—would snap at them and cancel events due to mental health issues, then blame her staff for frayed relationships with community leaders and fundraising problems.
“It’s completely fine to struggle with mental illness,” one former staffer told the Colorado Sun. “But it is one thing to struggle with mental illness and it’s another thing to weaponize it.”
“Everyone left the office because of the way Yadira treated people and her mental stability,” another said.
The aides, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation, said they were speaking to provide a warning for anyone considering working for Caraveo, who had one of the highest turnover rates in Congress last year.
Caraveo is aiming to reclaim Colorado’s Eighth Congressional District after losing to Rep. Gabe Evans (R.) in 2024 by less than a single percentage point. The swing district’s 2026 outcome could decide which party controls the House—and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is not actively supporting Caraveo.
The Democrat admitted in March that she leaned on her aides and claimed she apologized to them.
“Many times [my staffers] were the only ones that I felt like I could be open with and not pretend to be OK all the time, because that was the rest of my life — pretending that I was OK,” Caraveo told Colorado Public Radio. “I know that it placed undue pressure on them, and I’ve apologized to them many times. But also, [I] needed them to understand and acknowledge that it was an illness and that I couldn’t completely control how I was reacting to that illness until I finally got help.”
But Caraveo’s former aides told the Colorado Sun they never received an apology and felt mistreated from the outset. Some have entered therapy.
Caraveo’s first known suicide attempt came in February 2024 when staffers rushed to her home after she sent them concerning messages. They learned that she’d taken 19 sleeping pills and was drinking alcohol. She was rushed to the hospital and was placed on an emergency mental health hold. A police officer noted in an application for the hold that Caraveo, a licensed physician, said “this will put me to sleep for awhile.”
The Colorado Sun, which obtained the application, learned of the suicide attempt the Saturday before Election Day. Caraveo’s team responded to the outlet’s inquiries with a cease-and-desist letter, threatening to sue if it published a story.
Then, in April 2024, emergency responders were called to Caraveo’s district office to treat a woman suffering from an overdose after taking about 20 lorazepam—an anxiety and sleep drug recently made famous by a suicidal character on HBO’s White Lotus. Multiple sources confirmed to the Colorado Sun that the woman was Caraveo.
She was meeting with local Latino leaders when the drugs took effect, causing the meeting to be cut short. She also had to miss an event later that day opening up her 2024 campaign headquarters.
Caraveo, however, told Colorado Public Radio, that she took a “handful” of medications for a foot injury, resulting in an emergency room trip.
Caraveo’s 2026 campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The Democrat also didn’t answer the Colorado Sun’s questions, including whether she took the lorazepam before or after driving to the April 2024 events at her office, and instead provided a more general written statement.
“As I’ve been open about, I was in a dark place when I was suffering from depression and I know the disease led me to treat my friends, family and my staff in ways that I regret. I’m deeply sorry,” Caraveo wrote. “[S]uffering from depression does not disqualify anyone from doing hard things or working to make their communities better.”
“Through treatment I have seen profound changes in my illness and I wish I had sought this kind of treatment decades ago. It has changed how I interact with others and see the world, as well as how I see and treat myself,” she added.
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