Sen. John Fetterman has been hospitalized with depression. Here is what to know about the common but serious disorder.

 All because his doctors and therapists have no plan to get him 100% recovered. Nothing here even remotely suggests that the hospital failed him.

Sen. John Fetterman has been hospitalized with depression. Here is what to know about the common but serious disorder.

Fetterman also suffered a stroke last May and was hospitalized last week due to “lightheadedness.” Stroke is a known risk factor for depression.

Senator John Fetterman, who this week sought hospital care for depression, recently attended at the 28th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service at Girard College on Monday, January 16, 2023.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

by Abraham Gutman
Published Feb 16, 2023

Sen. John Fetterman’s longtime struggle with depression became more “severe” in recent weeks and prompted him to seek hospital care, his chief of staff said in a statement Thursday. The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment.

Fetterman also suffered a stroke last May and was hospitalized last week due to what staff described as lightheadedness.

» READ MORE: Sen. John Fetterman has checked into Walter Reed hospital for clinical depression

“I think it really brave for him to share [his depression], because it normalizes it a bit more for people who might be experiencing it and not talking about it,” said Kelly Gilrain, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of behavioral medicine and psychological services at Cooper University Health Care.

Gilrain is one of three health-care providers who did not take care of Fetterman but spoke to The Inquirer about depression generally. Here are answers to some common questions:

What is clinical depression?

Clinical depression is a psychiatric mood disorder that is both common and serious. A major depressive episode is defined as having multiple symptoms of depression for at least two weeks.

What differentiates depression from just feeling sad is that the disorder impairs people’s ability to complete everyday tasks, such as their work and usual routines.