Senator John Fetterman said he was feeling hopeful “for the first time” after being released from the hospital where he spent six weeks being treated for depression.
The Pennsylvania Democrat checked herself into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 15 for inpatient treatment for clinical depression, after what a neuropsychiatrist described as “low energy and motivation, minimal speech, poor sleep, slow thinking, slow, guilt. and useless, but no suicidal ideation.”
On Friday, Fetterman’s office said his depression was “in remission,” and he was treating his illness with medication. The senator, 53, is expected to return to Capitol Hill when the chamber resumes session later this month.
In an interview released Sunday, Fetterman spoke with Jane Pauley on “CBS Sunday Morning” about his lifelong journey of recovery from depression.
“I’m going home,” he said, adding “it’s going to be the first time I’ve gone into remission with depression. … And I can’t wait [see] what you feel, take it all in, and start making up for lost time.
Fetterman entered recovery nearly a year after the candidate suffered a stroke, putting his health at the forefront of the Pennsylvania Senate race. The stroke left Fetterman with an auditory processing disorder that his team says now uses hearing aids and closed captioning.
The senator won the election in November, but told Pauley that depression began to grow in the time between the campaign and the swearing in. Fetterman remembers not being able to get out of bed, not eating, losing weight and no longer participating in the things he loved.
“The whole thing about depression is that objectively, you might win, but depression really convinces you that you’re losing,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened. And that was the beginning of a downward spiral.
All three stroke patients had clinical depression, which doctors say can be treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Fetterman said she decided to enter treatment on her son’s 14th birthday, which the senator said.
“It makes me sad,” she said through tears. “You know, the day I entered was my son’s birthday. And I hope that forever, his birthday will be joyful, and you will not have to remember that your father was accepted.
Pauley responded with a reframe: “It’s starting to renew. His birthday is a day for you two to celebrate.
“Well, that’s a good way to look at it. I’m looking forward to doing that,” Fetterman said, adding that he’s looking forward to the “first” and that it’s “a strange feeling for me.”
The senator’s transparency about depression and post-stroke accommodation has helped normalize and destigmatize discussions about disability and mental health.
“My message now is not political,” he said. “I’m just a depressed person.”