Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) checked himself into Walter Reed Hospital to receive treatment for clinical depression on Wednesday night, his office announced.
“Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” chief of staff Adam Jentleson said in a statement.
“On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” he added. “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.”
His wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, said she was proud of him for asking for help.
“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 so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs,” she said in a Thursday tweet.
Fetterman suffered a stroke last year during his Senate campaign and was hospitalized last week for light-headedness. Tests ruled out another stroke or a seizure. Fetterman uses a closed-captioning device to help with his continued auditory processing issues from the stroke.
Fetterman was elected in November, beating Republican Mehmet Oz in a heated election in which his stroke became a target for the GOP. His win gave the Democrats their 51st seat following two years of 50-50 gridlock.
Reporting from The Washington Examiner.
