Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) admitted himself to a Maryland hospital on Wednesday night for “clinical depression,” his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” the statement said.
After undergoing an evaluation on Monday by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician for members of Congress, Fetterman heeded Monahan’s recommendation to receive care and checked himself in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the statement said.
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Fetterman is “receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” Jentleson's statement said. “John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself.”
Fetterman suffered a stroke last year, just before he edged Dr. Mehmet Oz to become a senator in November. According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 10 to 27 percent of people who suffer a stroke struggle with depression after the fact.
Thursday’s announcement came a week after Fetterman's office announced he’d been hospitalized after feeling “lightheaded.” His office said tests ruled out the symptom being tied to his stroke.
Fetterman's wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wrote in a tweet that she’s “so proud” of her husband for getting the care he needs.
“After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John,” she tweeted. “I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs.”
Fetterman’s openness was praised by Jason Kander, Missouri's former secretary of state, who called the senator “the real deal.”
Kander made a similar announcement in 2018 as he campaigned to be mayor of Kansas City. Against the wishes of some of his closest supporters, Kander, a veteran, revealed publicly he’d been battling with depression and PTSD for over a decade, and that he’d be ending his campaign.
Kander said Thursday that Fetterman is “FAR from the first senator” to do this “but he’s the first to have the stones to announce it.”
“A stroke is obviously traumatic and I’m glad he’s addressing the understandable effect on his mental health, too,” Kander tweeted. “He’s the real deal. This is awesome leadership.”
