John Fetterman

FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Sen. John Fetterman is being treated for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., "checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression," his chief of ...

"I think what John has done is really courageous to step up and take care of himself," Murphy said. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said it "takes a big man to admit when he needs help. @SenFettermanPA is a big, courageous man." “After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., offered his support on Twitter, saying: "Millions of Americans, like John, struggle with depression each day. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis," Jentleson said in a statement Thursday. "This is a much different beast." The senator's wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, tweeted Thursday: “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. I’m never one to cover up my emotions, and today is no exception. I’m sad, and worried, as any wife and mother would be.” “Post-stroke depression is very, very common,” said Dr. His office [said](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-john-fetterman-hospitalized-rcna69847) this month that he was hospitalized after he felt lightheaded but that tests ruled out another stroke.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa checked himself into Walter Reed Hospital for ". How could this amazing woman, a retired nurse and hospital administrator who skied ...

We should aspire to the time when asking for help isn’t brave. Asking for help is brave. It’s hard to share how you feel and wonder if it will keep people from thinking twice before picking you for something – whether it is a senate committee or a job promotion. I can only hope that anyone who thinks they are alone, whose brain won’t let them see clearly, whose depression has taken hold, knows about the eighteen people and that someone else is out there, someone else cares. And then, wow: It’s hard to ask for help, to tell your boss that you need help and time off. But of those struggling, almost seven out of 10 say what keeps them from asking for help or sharing with others includes shame and fear of judgment, or not knowing what to say. Eighteen people cared about her when they didn’t know her, when she wasn’t here anymore to let her know. It’s even harder for everyone else to know you need help when maybe you aren’t ready to talk about it. But the reality is – we aren’t there yet. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 any time day or night, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Sometimes behind a too big of a “hello.” John Fetterman ](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/16/john-fetterman-hospital-clinical-depression/11274209002/)checked himself in to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment for [ clinical depression](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/health-wellness/2021/05/12/mental-health-burn-out-languishing-anxiety-depression-explained/4919976001/), the first thing I thought was: Good for him.

Editor's Note: Dr. Peggy Drexler is a research psychologist, documentary film producer and author, including two books about gender and family and the ...

But it’s crucial to remember that depression is as common as the common cold. The fact is that it’s a fair question to ask. [National Institute of Mental Health ](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression)show that an estimated 21 million adults in the United States—nearly one in 10—has had at least one major depressive episode. We aren’t living in the 1970s anymore; we’ve come far in our understanding of an illness that affects so many people. [checked himself into ](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/john-fetterman-depression-treatment/index.html)Walter Reed National Military Medical Center “to receive treatment for clinical depression,” according to his chief of staff. The good news is that he sought out the helps he needs—and that, at least so far, his supporters seem to be compassionate. Eagleton was a choice pick—the [youngest-ever Attorney General in Missouri history ](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/magazine/30wwln-eagleton-t.html)who became a popular senator. We’re living in tough times, and almost everybody hurts; if our leaders are meant to represent us, how can we possibly fault them for being, in fact, just like us? It didn’t matter that Eagleton had gone on to build a successful career—the suggestion of any sort of mental illness, ever, was enough. (Of course, more liberal readers may also have political motives when unquestionably backing Fetterman.) Depression is so widespread that very few of us are not impacted. Peggy Drexler is a research psychologist, documentary film producer and author, including two books about gender and family and the forthcoming “Mean,” a book about women behaving badly, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2024.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Thursday to receive treatment for clinical depression, ...

[revealed](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/seth-moulton-ptsd-mental-health-1345848) he received treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Iraq War. Tina Smith also [disclosed](https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-in-senate-speech-why-im-sharing-my-experience-with-depression/) her battle with depression in 2019 in an effort to destigmatize and demystify mental illness, she said. [declined to release](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/john-fetterman-medical-records-pennsylvania-senate-race) medical records up until October and even then only [released a letter](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/10/19/fettermans-doctor-says-hes-fit-to-serve-in-senate-after-stroke/?sh=39c7d81e1413) from his cardiologist. Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.), a 1972 vice-presidential nominee, was pushed off the ticket after revealing he had been hospitalized for depression three times and had undergone electroshock therapy. Fetterman now has a hearing impairment that requires him to use a close captioning device to partake in conversations, a [common tool](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/10/13/fetterman-closed-captioning-stroke-aphasia/) for people with hearing or auditory processing problems. Fetterman Hospitalized For ‘Severe’ Depression](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/16/sen-fetterman-hospitalized-for-severe-depression/?sh=54773d6cde0d) (Forbes) [Fetterman’s Doctor Says He’s Fit To Serve In Senate After Stroke](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/10/19/fettermans-doctor-says-hes-fit-to-serve-in-senate-after-stroke/?sh=39c7d81e1413) (Forbes) He explained that to NBC News in an October [interview](https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/full-fetterman-interview-i-believe-i-m-going-to-be-able-to-serve-effectively-after-stroke-150421573805), “I sometimes will hear things in a way that’s not perfectly clear.” It’s not clear whether Fetterman’s stroke has any connection to him seeking treatment for clinical depression, but depression is a common experience for stroke survivors, according to the [American Stroke Association](https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/emotional-effects-of-stroke/depression-and-stroke#:~:text=Depression%20is%20a%20common%20experience,to%20the%20losses%20from%20stroke.). Fetterman is not the first politician to disclose a depression diagnosis, but his announcement illustrates how the dialogue around mental health issues, specifically depression, has changed. The senator [announces](https://twitter.com/dylanewells/status/1626302086978670593?s=20) the senator is [seeking treatment](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/16/sen-fetterman-hospitalized-for-severe-depression/?sh=54773d6cde0d) for “severe depression” that plagued him throughout his life but “became severe in recent weeks.” [stroke symptoms](https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1525922874552242181?s=20&t=BgREPQb6JtYK2ZLNKl3YhA), while in the hospital doctors [removed the clot](https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1525922874552242181?s=20&t=BgREPQb6JtYK2ZLNKl3YhA) that caused the stroke. [takes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/02/09/sen-john-fetterman-hospitalized-after-feeling-lightheaded-months-after-stroke/?sh=7007463c1f2a) him to the hospital after Fetterman said he felt lightheaded at the end of a Senate Democratic retreat, said Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s communications director, in a [statement](https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1623560970697072640).

Fetterman suffered a life-threatening stroke during his Senate campaign, but still defeated his Trump-backed Republican challenger, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Congress is working to craft a bill to raise the U.S. Getting the care you need is brave and important. [life-threatening stroke](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/03/fetterman-recovering-from-stroke-promises-return-to-pa-senate-campaign.html) on the campaign trail last year, and he has continued to experience health issues in office. A top staffer for the senator confirmed that timeline to CNBC. The Senate is not in session next week. [harder](https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/3334/what-happens-with-incapacitated-senators/) for the polarized chamber to accomplish its goals.

Tucker Carlson called the Pennsylvania Democrat “unfit to serve.” Meanwhile, a guest on Laura Ingraham's show suggested that Fetterman was steeped in a ...

[statement](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/john-fetterman-depression-treatment/index.html) from his office, Fetterman, who suffered a stroke on the campaign trail last year and is still recovering, revealed that he had dealt with occasional depression before but that his symptoms recently became more acute. Mental illness is real & serious, and I hope that he gets the care he needs,” Cruz [tweeted](https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1626328204196601858), while Cornyn [said](https://apnews.com/article/john-fetterman-politics-united-states-government-iraq-edward-kennedy-f0b7c038575db78ba01394a85c359e57) that the Senate “can be arduous. [commended](https://apnews.com/article/john-fetterman-politics-united-states-government-iraq-edward-kennedy-f0b7c038575db78ba01394a85c359e57) the Pennsylvania Democrat’s transparency and resolve. “All the people who made him continue with his run should be ashamed of themselves,” she said, adding, “Democrats in the media pushed Fetterman into a job he was not up to doing.” “She is very ambitious, and she used her impaired husband as the vehicle to achieve some of her ambitions,” he said. But those sentiments were hardly shared by pundits at Fox News, who attempted to paint Fetterman’s hospital visit as a sign of weakness—and potential spousal manipulation.

Yesterday, Senator John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who suffered a stroke at the near-peak of his political campaign last May, announced that he ...

In the coming weeks or months, my suspicion is that most of his Democratic colleagues will be supportive of Fetterman, while the hooligans at Fox and in the even-further-right precincts of the Trump underworld will say that he’s unfit to serve. And maybe the demands of the Senate will prove to be too much for him. And now here he is, in one of the most public-facing jobs imaginable—possibly even more so than the presidency, where you have the luxury of retreating into the antiqued seclusion of the White House, away from reporters and constituents. And from what little we know, that seemed to be the case for Fetterman. In fact, Fetterman’s office could have blamed his depression on his stroke, which is a common cause of depression. Yesterday, Senator John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who suffered a stroke at the near-peak of his political campaign last May, announced that he was checking into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat a case of obdurate depression.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself into a Washington, D.C., hospital “to receive treatment for clinical depression,” his chief of staff ...

can be an important part of a treatment plan for post-stroke depression,” according to the ASA release. “This is something we’re doing in our center,” he said. The stroke was caused by a blood clot that developed due to an irregular heartbeat. According to the AHA/ASA statement, the factors that are most strongly linked with depression after a stroke are physical disability, the severity of the stroke, a history of depression and cognitive impairment. Depression after a stroke can also increase a person’s risk of dying, according to the statement. “Depression following a stroke can be a normal psychological reaction to the stress of the injury, disability or brush with mortality brought on by the stroke,” [higher risk of depression](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007). [20%](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.21) [50%](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.22) Adults with depression after a stroke experience poorer health outcomes and quality of life, according to the AHA/ASA statement. Merrill](https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/david-merrill/), a psychiatrist and director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., told Healthline. [suffered a stroke](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/15/john-fetterman-stroke-pennsylvania-senate-00032588) last May while campaigning. [suffered a stroke](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/15/john-fetterman-stroke-pennsylvania-senate-00032588)last May while campaigning.

Data show Fetterman's chances of full recovery at 70 to 90 percent, said Joshua Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. That doesn't mean ...

“That led to a major depression,” Stroy said. “It’s not just one pill and one therapy session,” Stroy said. “The first sessions, I bitched and moaned,” he said. He was 38 and was “that guy walking around with a cane. “Sometimes, it’s hard to stop that train from going to negative town.” Feeling trapped, with no way out, is a hallmark of the disease, he said. Mental illness is real & serious, and I hope that he gets the care he needs.” Alison Holman, a professor of nursing and psychological science at the University of California Irvine. Doctors also will focus on teaching patients to get their sleep, reduce stress and resume activities and interests that promote wellness, he said. They promised that 100 percent of their contributions will go to the groups. “Getting the care you need is brave and important. That doesn’t mean he won’t need to stay on medication or continue therapy afterward, but in all likelihood, he will find relief from his symptoms of depression and return to normal functioning.