Former Enron CEO Says He Considered Suicide

Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling says he contemplated suicide after his company crumbled and authorities began to ratchet up legal pressure on him.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that life is better than the alternative, which was not a conclusion that was real clear to me for a period of time,” Skilling told the Wall Street Journal.

Skilling, 52, said he sought psychiatric help but was only able to emerge from a deep two-year malaise after his 2004 indictment, in which he was charged with conspiracy, fraud and insider trading, among other counts.

“The indictment, in a lot of ways, that was the turning point,” Skilling told the newspaper. “That’s when I started climbing back.”