Biden praises Fetterman for being open about depression treatment as lawmakers share their mental health concerns

Washington. President Joe Biden added his well wishes to a growing list of bipartisan lawmakers who have expressed support for Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman after he revealed Thursday that he was being treated for clinical depression.

“John, Giselle – Jill and I are thinking of your family today,” the president tweeted. “Millions of people struggle with depression every day, often alone. Getting the help you need is bold and important. We thank you for leading by example.”

The White House declined to say whether Mr. Biden spoke to Fetterman or his wife, Gisele.

“Over the past few months, the president has developed a very good close relationship with the Fettermans,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “You saw the president visit Pennsylvania several times during the midterms, so they got to know each other.”

Fetterman, 53, checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Wednesday night after being seen by a congressional attending physician on Monday, his office said. Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Gentleson, said in a statement that the senator “has experienced depression from time to time throughout his life” but continued that “it has only become serious in recent weeks.”

Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild, a Democrat, lost her partner to suicide in 2019 and hopes Fetterman’s disclosure could be a “teachable moment.”

“Instead of being unable to serve the people of Pennsylvania, I would say that there are Pennsylvanians and Americans everywhere who feel less stigmatized, less alienated and recognize that they, too, share the sickness and disease that so many other people have. “, Wilde told CBS News. “So I would say it makes him more able to connect with Pennsylvanians, with his constituents.”

Other lawmakers spoke about their struggles with depression, including New York Rep. Richie Torres, who was hospitalized in 2010. He tweeted, “I wouldn’t be alive, let alone Congress, if it wasn’t for psychiatric help.”

Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith wrote article in the Daily Beast Friday about her experience of depression in her teens and again in her 30s when she was a young mother.

“I can’t speak to John’s personal experience and I don’t compare my own battle with depression to what he’s going through because everyone is different,” Smith wrote. “For me, depression drained hope and the promise that I would ever feel hope again.”

Fetterman was hospitalized earlier this month after feeling dizzy during a Senate Democratic retreat, but was released after tests showed no signs of a stroke or seizures. Last May, he suffered a stroke while running for the US Senate.

“I know that when I had the stroke, if I hadn’t been to the hospital, I probably wouldn’t be standing here today,” another Democrat, New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan, told CBS News. “We should encourage people to speak up and say something if they are not feeling well.”

In January 2022, Luhan suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery. He described Fetterman as “great” and “strong” from the moment he arrived on Capitol Hill.

“He quickly settled into this unusual place,” Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat from Virginia, told CBS News. “It will take some time to understand this place. It is completely different. He was lieutenant governor, and so was I, and we were both mayors. It’s a completely different job, but he enjoys it.”

Some senators say they remain concerned about Fetterman’s health after his latest diagnosis.

“It would be a problem for everyone if you add it to the work we’re doing here,” Senator Tom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told CBS News. “I believe he may have some auditory response issues, but he can participate using voice to text. He participated in secret briefings that I attended. He was on all of them. with pain, but he was here and appeared.

“He went through a lot physically and mentally,” said Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota. “We are praying for him and his family and hope he can get on the road to recovery and return here.”

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