Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is sharing what he believes contributed to his depression.
During an interview with KDKA, Fetterman said he feels “fantastic” after a six-week hospital stay to treat his depression.
“A lot of people have been asking, ‘Hey, how are you feeling, how’s your depression?’ It’s in remission, and I am just so grateful to be feeling great,” he said.
Journalist Jon Delano asked, “Is John Fetterman really fit, mentally and physically, to be a United States senator?”
“That certainly is very blunt, but my answer will be blunt, too,” Fetterman responded.
He added, “Hell, yes, and that’s why I’m doing it. Just the way any Pennsylvanians are working, you take it a day and a day and work hard, and that’s exactly what I am doing here.”
The senator also pointed to his Senate campaign and stroke last year as the causes of his depression.
“It was after the brutality of the campaign,” Fetterman said, adding, “Some people believe it was one of the most vicious political campaigns.”
Still, Fetterman said he does not blame his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz.
He explained what led him to seek treatment for his depression:
“I wasn’t being the kind of senator Pennsylvania deserved. I wasn’t being the kind of husband Gisele deserved. I wasn’t being the kind of father my children deserved.”
In a statement in February, Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said, “Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression.”
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” he continued.
In a briefing, Dr. David Williamson, chief of neuropsychiatry and medical director of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, said Fetterman was experiencing symptoms of depression such as low energy, poor sleep, slowed thinking, slowed movement, minimal speech, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness when he was admitted to the hospital.
Williamson added the senator did not show signs of suicidal ideation.
NEWS: Sen Fetterman was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was treated for major depression. His doctor says Fetterman had “no suicidal ideation” and his depression is now in remission. Fetterman will return when the Senate comes back April 17. pic.twitter.com/D7VQleeJj8
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 31, 2023
Fetterman returned to the Capitol in April.
