Pennsylvania Senator Jon Fetterman leaves depressed Walter Reed ‘in quiet’

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression, with plans to return to the Senate when the chamber resumes session in mid-April, his office reported Friday.

In a statement, Fetterman’s office said he returned home to Braddock, in western Pennsylvania, with his depression “in remission” and provided details of his treatment including that his depression was treated with medication and that he wears hearing aids for hearing loss.

Fetterman, who has a wife and three school-age children, said he’s happy to be back home.

“I’m excited to be the father and husband I want to be, and the Pennsylvania senator deserves it,” Fetterman said. “Pennsylvanians have always supported me, and I always will.” “I am so grateful to the wonderful team at Walter Reed. The care they provided has changed my life.”

Fetterman will return to the Senate the week of April 17.

See also: SOURCES: Penn State Senator John Fetterman is expected to return to the Senate in April

Fetterman checked in on Walter Reed weeks after he withdrew from what his aides described as Fetterman’s lack of interest in eating, discussing work or the usual banter with staff.

Fetterman, 53, was barely a month into his service in Washington and still recovering from the effects of a stroke he suffered the previous May while campaigning when he went to Walter Reed on the advice of his Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan.

Doctors say post-stroke depression is common and treatable through medical therapy and talk therapy.

Fetterman’s return would be good news for Democrats who have struggled to find votes for some nominations, in particular, without Fetterman there.

Fetterman’s office also released details of his treatment under medical professionals led by Dr. David Williamson, a neuropsychiatrist.

When admitted, Fetterman had “severe symptoms of depression with decreased energy and motivation, slurred speech, poor sleep, slow thinking, slowed movement, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, but no suicidal ideation,” said the statement attributed to Williamson.

Symptoms had steadily worsened over the previous eight weeks and Fetterman stopped consuming and drinking fluids. This caused a drop in blood pressure, the statement said.

“His depression, which is now resolved, may have been a barrier to participation,” she said.

Fetterman suffered a stroke last May while campaigning in a three-way Democratic primary. A stroke nearly killed him, he said, and he underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage two heart conditions, atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy.

One of Fetterman’s main aftereffects of stroke is auditory processing disorder, which can render a person unable to speak smoothly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. Fetterman uses devices in conversations, meetings, and congressional hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.