The White House on Tuesday plugged ObamaCare in praising the decision by New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s daughter to open up about her struggles with drugs and depression.
Chiara de Blasio’s decision to go public gives voice “to the millions who suffer from substance abuse disorders,” Gil Kerlikowske, the White House drug policy director, said in a statement released late on Tuesday.
{mosads}He also said Obama’s signature health law could help de Blasio and others like her.
Kerlikowske said the law expands access to mental health treatment, which will give “many more a chance to follow in Chiara’s footsteps.”
“By giving the millions of Americans in recovery a voice, we’re making real progress to end discrimination, stigma, and other obstacles to recovery that hinder our ability to make America healthier and stronger.”
A 19-year-old college sophomore, Chiara de Blasio had a big role in her father’s successful campaign.
In a four-minute video released by his transition team, she admits to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana to deal with clinical depression and anxiety.
“It made it easier, the more I drank and did drugs, to share some common ground with people,” she said. “It didn’t start out as, like, a huge thing for me, but then it became a really huge thing for me.”
She said she eventually found help in group therapy.
Chiara’s parents offered their support for her in a statement.