Savannah Chrisley described her past suicide attempt as “a cry for help.”
In Tuesday’s episode of her “Unlocked” podcast, the former “Chrisley Knows Best” star, 25, told mental health and addiction awareness advocate Patrick Custer that she tried to take her life when she was about 15 or 16 years old, right before her family began filming their reality show.
“I didn’t really have a life-or-death experience, but I did try committing suicide so that potentially was maybe my life-or-death experience,” she said. “But for me, it was more a cry for help.”
Because the incident was so traumatic, Chrisley doesn’t remember a lot of the details.
“It’s so crazy because when you go through so much trauma, I feel like your mind just blocks it out,” she explained.
“I also feel like, too, there were maybe some side effects to what I had done to where it affected my memory, but it all really was a blur,” she added, having previously revealed that she “took a bottle of pills” because she “suffered from really bad depression.”
She does, however, “remember waking up in the hospital, [her] parents being there and discussions being had.”
She also remembers “lying to the doctors because [she] didn’t want to be held at the hospital.”
Chrisley admitted that it was “hard coming off of that straight into reality television in front of the world and having even more thrown at you,” adding that her approach was “masking” the “hiccup” and reminding herself that she’s “fine.”
However, she said her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley — who are currently serving a combined 19 years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion — “stepped up” after her hospitalization.
“My dad spent countless hours with me every day, just trying to get me to talk, telling me his life stories, his trauma,” she shared. “Trying to let me know, like, ‘Hey, I’m not this perfect person you’ve always thought I am. I’ve gone through stuff in my life, too. I’ve had trauma. I want you to feel comfortable.’”
Savannah previously admitted that Todd — who recently celebrated his 54th birthday behind bars — and Julie, 50, “hid it so well” from the outside world that “no one knew” she had entered “game-chang[ing]” intensive therapy.
Savannah’s former fiancé, Nic Kerdiles attempted suicide in February 2022.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).