Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was hospitalized for clinical depression this week, after Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, recommended inpatient care. After Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022, he worked to balance his physical recovery while campaigning in the nation’s most closely watched races and adjusting to life in the Senate.
Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s chief of staff, said that Fetterman has experienced depression before, but “it only became severe in recent weeks.”
Last week, Fetterman was treated overnight at George Washington University Hospital, after he began to feel lightheaded during a retreat for Democratic senators, according to The Washington Post. He was monitored for signs of seizure or a stroke, each of which were ruled out.
This development is part of a longer health battle for Fetterman, whose stroke came just days before Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary last May. According to Philadelphia-based Fox 29 after his stroke in May he also “underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage two heart conditions, atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy.”
In 2022, Fetterman defeated celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz by five percentage points in the most expensive Senate race of the election cycle, per The Associated Press.
Despite this victory, The New York Times reports that Fetterman may have “missed out on a crucial recovery period,” with those closest to him fearing he might have long-term consequences.
Fetterman’s primary care physician, Dr. Clifford Chen, released a medical report in October 2022 where he described the former lieutenant governor as “recovering well,” though he exhibited “symptoms of an auditory processing disorder.”
Time reports that Fetterman uses live closed caption technology to follow speeches on the Senate floor and conduct press interviews.
Fetterman’s wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, said “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.”
While some continue to question Fetterman’s fitness for office, the announcement of this most recent hospitalization drew the support of many colleagues in Washington. “I admire Sen. John Fetterman for openly seeking treatment for depression,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said. “Back in 2010, I was hospitalized for depression. I would not be alive, let alone in Congress, were it not for mental health care.”