![]() Louis, said he thinks it’s “interesting and heroic” for a major political figure to acknowledge depression, “instead of saying they’re hospitalized for exhaustion or trying to hide it.” ![]() Eric Lenze, head of the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Bruce Ovbiagele, associate dean and professor of neurology at the University of California-San Francisco.ĭr. “Having a stroke in and of itself is devastating and having to recover from a stroke in the public eye only adds to the level of stress as one recovers,” said Dr. And that could be even more difficult when dealing with it publicly, like Fetterman is. Post-stroke depression is common, doctors say. So I’m sure if somebody is not up to 100% then it’s especially tough, so I wish him well.” John Cornyn said the Senate “can be arduous. He’s going to be a great Senator for a long time, and I’m pulling for him today.” I’m so proud of him for taking his health seriously. “A stroke, a recovery, a bruising campaign, a transition to the Senate. “It’s unreal what has been through in the last year,” tweeted Sen. He entered the Senate in January, where he has had to adjust to life in Washington and the daily grind of a federal lawmaker. He also underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage two heart conditions, atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy. He has said the stroke nearly killed him. “The more open, transparent people can be, the better our understanding is,” Thune said.įetterman’s hospitalization comes after a rough year in which the 53 year-old suffered a stroke just ahead of the May primary election and spent much of the summer off the campaign trail, recovering. 2 Republican, said he thinks politicians have become more comfortable discussing the issue since the pandemic. South Dakota’s John Thune, the Senate’s No. “If they see somebody else, like John, saying, ‘OK, I need to get medical care,’ that can be important to people.” Tina Smith, a Democrat who shared her own stories about periods of depression on the Senate floor four years ago. “In every single city and town and rural community there is someone struggling with mental health,” said Minnesota Sen. ![]() Surgeon General, Vivek Murphy, tweeted praise for Fetterman, saying he hopes his “courage will serve as an example for others.”įetterman’s Senate colleagues were immediately supportive. Fetterman may do more for people just by admitting that he’s getting help for depression than any bill he ends up sponsoring.” “This is a moment for us to tear down the stigma of depression and anxiety,” said Kennedy, who retired in 2010 and has become a leading voice on mental illness. Kennedy and a handful of others who have been open about their own problems, or those in their family, say they hope Fetterman’s honesty - and his decisive action to get help - will foster more openness among lawmakers and their constituents in the wake of a global pandemic that has had far-reaching effects. ![]() The statement said Fetterman had experienced depression on and off in his life, but it had only become severe in recent weeks.įetterman’s public struggle is extraordinary in a building where few talk about their own mental health, even while members of both parties have legislation to expand aid for it. John Fetterman, a Democrat who was elected to the Senate after a bruising campaign during which he suffered a stroke, announced he had checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. On Thursday, the office of Pennsylvania Sen. He talked openly about his mental health and substance abuse for the first time, and something surprising happened - he became more popular with his constituency, winning reelection by a bigger margin than he had two years earlier. Edward Kennedy, was eventually forced to reveal his struggles when he crashed his car outside the Capitol after taking a combination of prescription drugs in May 2006. Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat and the son of the late Sen. ![]()
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