Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who is still recovering from a near-fatal stroke, entered Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Thursday to be treated for depression, his office said.
“Last night Senator John Fetterman checked in at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for his clinical depression,” Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s chief of staff, said in a statement Thursday. “While John has suffered from intermittent depression throughout his life, it has only gotten worse in the past few weeks.”
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Democrat was arrested by Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the United States Congress. On Wednesday, Monahan Fetterman recommended inpatient treatment with Walter Reed.
“John has consented and is being treated on a voluntary basis,” Jentleson said. “After examining John, Walter Reed’s doctors told us that John is getting the care he needs and will be well soon.”
Fetterman, 53, suffered a stroke in May, just days before the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, and is still suffering from the effects.
Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is captured and leaves an intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Fetterman has been seeing a doctor for depression since Monday and has Walter Reed checked in for inpatient therapy
John Fetterman (left) walks with his wife Gisele (right) as they leave their polling station on Election Day in November. Fetterman beat the Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz in the crucial Pennsylvania Senate race and earned the Democrats an extra seat
The senator’s wife Gisele called it a “difficult time for our family” and asked for privacy while sharing the news that her husband had checked in with Walter Reed to be treated for major depression
Last week, Fetterman was hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital after becoming dizzy during a Democrat retreat in Washington, DC
He was held for two nights for observation, with doctors ruling out a second stroke.
Fetterman was spotted on Capitol Hill earlier this week attending a briefing on the recently shot down airborne objects.
The New York Times reported last week that the Democrat was struggling to adjust to life as a senator.
Fetterman declined an interview with the newspaper, but aides and allies said the already difficult Senate transition was “made significantly more difficult by the strains of his recovery” and noted that he “had a physical impairment and serious mental health issues.” . ‘
He still suffers from auditory processing issues, which means he must use devices that provide him with closed captioning to connect with his Senate peers and constituents and to attend committee hearings.
When people talk to Fetterman, he hears something similar to what the adults in the Peanuts cartoons do: squeals made by a muffled trombone, The Times reported.
Aside from the hearing problem – which is exacerbated when Fetterman feels stressed – the Times reported that recovering from a stroke has taken a “very real psychological toll” on the politician.
Fetterman’s political trademark was somehow tied to his unconventional, tough looks — at 6ft 8 tall, with tattooed arms, a shaved head and a goatee — the former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania looked like he was straight out of town a steel mill in Pittsburgh.
However, as The Times put it, the stroke transformed him into a “physically altered version of himself” and the senator was “frustrated” that he has yet to fully recover.
Additionally, Fetterman was reportedly concerned that he might have thrown himself permanently behind as he didn’t take enough time to rest during the campaign.
“What you should do to recover from this is to do as little as possible,” Jentleson had told the newspaper. Instead, Fetterman was forced to do as much as he could – get back on the campaign trail. It’s hard to get that back.’
Allies of his Republican Senate rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, questioned his mental prowess as Fetterman stayed off and out of the public eye for most of the summer.
“If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate and unable to communicate effectively, if he were unable to engage with the press, if he were unable to engage with his peers he wouldn’t be able to do his job,” said Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who was retiring in September.
“It’s just not possible to be an effective senator if you can’t communicate. It’s just the essence of the job,” Toomey added, urging Fetterman to debate with Oz.
Fetterman debated Oz in late October, and his rocking performance had even the Democrats shaking.
Fetterman’s speech was muddled and he had to use closed captioning technology to understand the moderators’ and Oz’s responses.
Still, Fetterman beat the Trump-backed Oz by five percentage points, earning the Democrats an extra Senate seat in what is likely the most-watched Senate race of 2022.
On Thursday, Fetterman’s wife Gisele called it a “difficult time for our family” and asked for privacy while sharing her husband’s Senate office statement that he was seeking treatment for his mental health.
“After what he’s been through over the past year, there’s probably no one less keen to speak out about their own health than John. I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs,” said Gisele Fetterman.