Sen. John Fetterman has checked himself into a hospital to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Thursday.
"Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression," a statement from the Pennsylvania Democrat's office said. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks."
According to the statement, Fetterman was evaluated by a Congress physician on Monday, who recommended in-patient care at Walter Reed Medical Center.
"John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis," his office said. "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."
Gisele Barreto Fetterman, Fetterman's wife, tweeted out the statement, adding, "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."
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.
In 2017, Fetterman was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, and a decreased heart pump. In summer 2022, while campaigning for the Senate, he had a stroke, and on May 17, he underwent a three-hour surgery to implant a pacemaker and defibrillator. He won the Democratic Senate primary the same day. While campaigning, Fetterman couldn't attend many in-person events as he recovered — prompting his Republican opponent and celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz to run a “basement tracker” to count how many days Fetterman was at home.
As he continues to recover, Fetterman has used closed-captioning because of auditory processing issues that make it difficult to understand what he hears.
About a week ago, Fetterman was hospitalized after he felt lightheaded at a Senate Democratic retreat, but test results ruled out another stroke.