A spokesman for the first-term senator from Pennsylvania, who suffered a near-fatal stroke last year, said his depression had grown severe in recent weeks, as he has worked to adjust to life in the Senate.
WASHINGTON — Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania…checked himself in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said on Thursday.
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” Adam Jentleson, his chief of staff, said in a statement. …
“John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” Mr. Jentleson said.
The decision to seek help at Walter Reed underscored the challenges, both physical and emotional, that Mr. Fetterman has been dealing with since entering the Senate last month after a life-threatening stroke last year
…
…It is not yet clear how long Mr. Fetterman will stay at Walter Reed, though aides anticipate it will be longer than a few days.
…
[Senator] Fetterman has also been quietly struggling on a psychological level that is less obvious and harder for his colleagues to accommodate.
…
After a life-changing stroke days before the Democratic primary last year, Mr. Fetterman briefly pared down his schedule to recover. But he continued his campaign in one of the most competitive and closely watched Senate races in the nation.
Now, the reality of having missed out on a crucial recovery period has become a source of pain and frustration for Mr. Fetterman and people close to him, who fear that he may suffer long-term and possibly permanent repercussions. His schedule as a freshman senator has meant that he has continued to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are detrimental.
…
…Dr. Mehmet Oz, seized on the issue of Mr. Fetterman’s physical health in an attempt to revive his struggling candidacy. He was not the only one; Republicans and conservative talk show hosts relentlessly attacked Mr. Fetterman and questioned whether he was fit to serve.
At the time, Mr. Fetterman said he was recovering quickly and living a normal life. His campaign aides insisted he was healthier than a vast majority of the aging Senate.
“I’m running a perfectly normal campaign,” Mr. Fetterman said in an interview with The New York Times in September. At another point he added, “I keep getting better and better, and I’m living a perfectly normal life.”
WASHINGTON — Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania…checked himself in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said on Thursday.
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” Adam Jentleson, his chief of staff, said in a statement. …
“John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” Mr. Jentleson said.
The decision to seek help at Walter Reed underscored the challenges, both physical and emotional, that Mr. Fetterman has been dealing with since entering the Senate last month after a life-threatening stroke last year
…
…It is not yet clear how long Mr. Fetterman will stay at Walter Reed, though aides anticipate it will be longer than a few days.
…
[Senator] Fetterman has also been quietly struggling on a psychological level that is less obvious and harder for his colleagues to accommodate.
…
After a life-changing stroke days before the Democratic primary last year, Mr. Fetterman briefly pared down his schedule to recover. But he continued his campaign in one of the most competitive and closely watched Senate races in the nation.
Now, the reality of having missed out on a crucial recovery period has become a source of pain and frustration for Mr. Fetterman and people close to him, who fear that he may suffer long-term and possibly permanent repercussions. His schedule as a freshman senator has meant that he has continued to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are detrimental.
…
…Dr. Mehmet Oz, seized on the issue of Mr. Fetterman’s physical health in an attempt to revive his struggling candidacy. He was not the only one; Republicans and conservative talk show hosts relentlessly attacked Mr. Fetterman and questioned whether he was fit to serve.
At the time, Mr. Fetterman said he was recovering quickly and living a normal life. His campaign aides insisted he was healthier than a vast majority of the aging Senate.
“I’m running a perfectly normal campaign,” Mr. Fetterman said in an interview with The New York Times in September. At another point he added, “I keep getting better and better, and I’m living a perfectly normal life.”
That is the issue: Big John and his campaign handled this "quietly," they didn't tell voters what was going on; simply put, they lied to the people of Pennsylvania. The stroke was a legitimate issue, his ability to fill out his term another legitimate issue and now "the reality" is that he has not been able to get through his first two months on the job. Although a 40-year resident of Florida I gave $200 in four $50 donations to John's campaign. Personally, I feel let down by the near total opacity on this issue.
