Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been released from the hospital following a six-week stay to get treatment for clinical depression.
Fetterman, in a statement, said on Friday that he has checked out of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will soon be back on Capitol Hill.
“I am so happy to be home. I’m excited to be the father and husband I want to be, and the senator Pennsylvania deserves. Pennsylvanians have always had my back, and I will always have theirs,” he said.
“I am extremely grateful to the incredible team at Walter Reed. The care they provided changed my life. I will have more to say about this soon, but for now I want everyone to know that depression is treatable, and treatment works. This isn’t about politics — right now there are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties. If you need help, please get help,” he added.
This comes after Fetterman checked himself into the hospital on Feb. 16 to get treatment for a “severe” bout of clinical depression.
The Pennsylvania Democrat recently recovered from a stroke that occurred in May of last year, just days before the primary election. According to research, roughly one in every three patients has post-stroke depression (PSD) in the year following their stroke. At least three times as many people experience depression at that rate as there are in the general population.
The National Institutes of Health also estimated that over 21 million adults in the U.S. have experienced at least one significant episode of depression in 2020. About 66 percent of them received therapy out of those.
Symptoms of depression include persistent feelings of sadness or a loss of interest in life. People who suffer from the disorder can have trouble completing common day-to-day activities, while some may have thoughts of self-harm.
Fetterman’s communication director, Joe Calvello, said on Friday that the senator is in Braddock and will be back on Capitol Hill on April 17, when the Senate is back in session.
“With the Senate in recess for the next 2 weeks, John will spend time with his family and constituents in PA, and return to DC when the Senate session resumes on 4/17,” Calvello tweeted.
