John Fetterman, a senator from Pennsylvania, will be admitted to Walter Reed Hospital for a few weeks to receive therapy for his depression.
An adviser to the Pennsylvania Democrat provided more details on Fetterman’s condition in an interview with NBC News on Friday.
According to Fetterman’s assistant, it’s hard to tell if his problems are the result of the stroke or his “depression and social anxiety.”
Pennsylvania Republican Senator John Fetterman is going to Walter Reed for “a few weeks” to get help for his melancholy.
A “severe” case of depression prompted Fetterman to seek inpatient treatment at the Bethesda, Maryland, facility, according to the office of Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, which was reported on Thursday. A senior office employee updated NBC News on Fetterman’s condition on Friday.
Fetterman’s sensory issues and communication difficulties have been publicized in the media since he was sworn in as a senator in January. In May, he suffered a stroke.
According to NBC’s story, a senior employee speculates that it is unclear if the senator is “not hearing you” or is “kind of handicapped by his sadness and social anxiety.”
According to a CNN article from last Friday, Fetterman’s symptoms included a loss of weight and appetite, which led to his hospitalization at George Washington University Hospital last week for complaints of dizziness.
The network claims that doctors would require some time to learn about Fetterman’s medical fight.
CNN noted that the Democrat had no intentions to resign, and both of their sources expressed confidence in Fetterman’s ability to do his job following his experience at Walter Reed.
According to NBC’s source, everyone was taken aback by how severely Fetterman was affected by his depression.
Both Democrats and Republicans have praised Fetterman for being open about his struggles with mental health, and these new revelations have only bolstered that praise.
Joe Biden, the vice president, sent a message of support on Friday morning.
Greetings, John and Gisele! Jill and I are thinking about your loved ones today. Many people suffer from depression regularly, and most of them don’t talk about it. Being the one to reach out for assistance requires bravery and thought. In recognition of the leadership you’ve demonstrated, ” To put it simply, Biden tweeted.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz has said that he and his wife Heidi are “raising John in prayer” because of the struggles the Cruz family has had with mental health.
Mental illness is extremely real and very terrible, and I pray he gets the assistance he needs. Cruz has asked that his family be left alone, regardless of his political beliefs.
Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, has conveyed his condolences and shared a story about a similar encounter he had with Rep. Joe Fetterman.
In a tweet sent on Thursday, Torres said, “I thank Senator John Fetterman for openly undergoing counseling for depression at Walter Reed.” The woman explained, “Hospitalization for me occurred in 2010 when I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I would not be sitting in Congress today if I did not have access to mental health care. Millions of Americans support you, Senator.
Minnesota Democrat Senator Tina Smith spoke publicly about her battle with depression in 2019 to promote legislation that would make it easier for people to get the help they need for mental health issues.
She admired him for his candor and told him he was brave to discuss his condition with her in such detail.
“John Fetterman’s determination and kindness have stood out to me in the little time I’ve spent working with him. John is doing responsibly by seeking medical attention, as this is what he needs to do. The tweet from Smith said, “John is teaching us all that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
Former Republican turned anti-Trump activist Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project is worried that Trump fans may harass and even assault Fetterman.
Several individuals I cared about have succumbed to despair and it’s unacceptable. Fetterman possesses a great deal of bravery for publicly admitting he needs help, given the terrible scorn he would suffer from the Maga world. A tweet from Wilson on Thursday said, “Better people would appreciate this courage.”
Republican Tennessee politician Tim Burchett has asked for prayers on behalf of Congressman John Fetterman.
He said, “This town has no soul and is quite unforgiving.” Everyone together now: “He needs our prayers and support.”
Vice President Biden’s surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, tweeted his admiration for Fetterman and expressed his hope that his “courage will serve as an example to others.”
Retired Democrat Patrick Kennedy recently told the Associated Press, “this is a chance for us to take down the stigma of sadness and anxiety.”
Senator Fetterman, as suggested by Kennedy, might do more good by getting therapy for his depression in public than by introducing any legislation.
Kennedy sought treatment for his substance abuse issues during congressional breaks to avoid having his treatment for mental illness reported in the media.
After crashing his drunken automobile in front of the Capitol in 2006, he finally admitted he had issues.
Upon being examined by the Attending Physician of the United States Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, Senator Fetterman’s Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson said on Thursday that the senator “had battled depression off and on throughout his life” and decided to seek counseling.
For anyone worried about John’s health, Jentleson has some good news: “John is getting the care he needs and will soon be back to himself.”
Fetterman was brought to George Washington University Hospital for two nights of observation after he fainted during the Democratic retreat last week.
Doctors said he did not have a second stroke.
Fetterman was reportedly seen on Capitol Hill last week, suggesting that he received a briefing on the details surrounding the downed UFOs.
The Democrat, according to a report in The New York Times last week, has struggled to acclimate to his new role as a senator.
Although Fetterman declined to comment on the article, his supporters have noted that the “vastly more difficult” issues he experienced following his recovery, such as “a physical impediment and major mental health concerns,” worsened the difficulties he had throughout the transition to the Senate.
Closed-captioning equipment is essential for him to interact with his fellow senators and citizens, as well as to participate in committee hearings, as he continues to experience issues with auditory processing.
Fetterman’s perception of human speech has been likened by The Times to the squawking of a muted trombone. The adults in the Peanuts cartoons probably sounded like this when they spoke.
The politician’s hearing loss is exacerbated by stress, and the Times said that his recovery from a stroke had a “very severe psychological toll” on him.
Over one-third of stroke survivors experience depression, according to data compiled by the Stroke Association.
Former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Fetterman stood at 6 feet 8 inches tall and had the look of a rugged guy straight out of a Pittsburgh steel plant, what with his tattooed arms, shaved head, and goatee.
The senator is “frustrated” that he still isn’t recovered from the stroke that “physically transformed” him, as reported by The Times.
Allegedly fearful that he could have put himself back irrevocably by not resting enough throughout the campaign, Fetterman didn’t take enough time off to rest.
According to Jentleson, resting as much as possible is the best course of action for recovery. As an alternative, Fetterman “had to do as much as possible;” he picked up his campaign again. It will take a lot of work to get that back.
His Republican Senate opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz’s fans began to wonder whether Fetterman was crazy after he stood on the sidelines and avoided the spotlight for most of the summer.
Pennsylvania’s outgoing Republican senator, Pat Toomey, said of Democratic candidate for Senate John Fetterman in September, “If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate and he is not able to communicate effectively, if he is not able to engage with the press, if he is not able to engage with his colleagues, he would not be able to do the job.”
“If you can’t communicate with the public, you won’t make a good senator.” Fetterman argued with Oz after Toomey said, “It’s the nature of the business.”
Yet, in late October, Fetterman and Oz argued, and his performance was so bad that it alarmed even Democrats.
Although Fetterman’s slurred speech rendered the moderators and Oz’s responses incomprehensible closed captioning helped him understand them.
In what was undoubtedly the most keenly watched Senate election of 2022, Fetterman defeated Oz, who had Trump’s backing, by a margin of five percentage points, giving the Democrats an additional Senate seat.
Gisele Fetterman posted a message from her husband’s Senate office saying he was undergoing counseling for his mental health and asking for privacy on Thursday.
After everything he’s been through in the past year, John is the last person who wants to discuss their health. According to Gisele Fetterman, “I’m so happy he finally got help and is doing well.
If you can help it, avoid danger. She asked you to hold your loved ones close and remind them that you are not alone.