Fetterman Receiving Inpatient Care for Clinical Depression at Walter Reed

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive inpatient care for clinical depression, his office said Thursday.

Fetterman’s office said he checked himself in Wednesday evening at the recommendation of Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the U.S. Congress.

“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” Fetterman’s office said.

“Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” the statement added. “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.”

Fetterman’s wife, Gisele Fetterman, shared the statement on Twitter and added, “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.”

The news comes less than a week after Fetterman, a Democrat, was discharged from George Washington University after a brief hospitalization for light-headedness. 

Fetterman was discharged on Friday after doctors ruled out the possibility that the senator suffered a new stroke.

“In addition to the CT, CTA, and MRI tests ruling out a stroke, his EEG test results came back normal, with no evidence of seizures,” Fetterman’s office said last week, two days after he was hospitalized for light-headedness he felt toward the end of a Senate Democratic retreat.

The 53-year-old experienced an ischemic stroke on May 13, just four days before he went on to win Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary. He later defeated Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz in the general election despite suffering from lingering side effects of the stroke.

Ahead of the election, the major newspaper in Allegheny County, which includes Braddock, Pa., Fetterman’s adopted hometown, endorsed Oz — in part due to Fetterman’s “lack of transparency” over his health.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote at the time: “Mr. Fetterman’s health — he suffered a serious stroke in May — is not the issue. His lack of transparency, however, in refusing to release his medical records is troubling. It suggests an impulse to conceal and a mistrust of the people. All candidates for a major elected office should release their medical records, as did Mr. Oz. If you want privacy, don’t run for public office.”

During the first and only debate between Oz and Fetterman, the Democrat at times seemed confused and struggled to answer some questions, despite using closed-captioning for what he has said were lingering auditory-processing issues.

Fetterman and his team have been accused of downplaying the severity of his medical problems. His wife referred to the stroke as a “little hiccup” on the same day that Fetterman underwent surgery to have a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted, the Washington Free Beacon reported.