Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa) has returned home to Pennsylvania after a six-week stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he received treatment for depression. Fetterman had checked himself voluntarily into the hospital on February 15th, as suggested by the attending physician of Congress, Brian P. Monahan Monahan. Upon evaluation, it was revealed that the senator was experiencing severe symptoms of depression, including low energy and motivation, minimal speech, poor sleep, slowed thought, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, and had stopped eating and taking fluids.
Under the care of Dr. C. B. David Williamson, Walter Reed neuropsychiatry chief, Fetterman's mood improved significantly and he was also fitted for hearing aids after doctors identified mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss on both sides. After six weeks of in-patient treatment, Fetterman's depression is now in remission and he is planning to return to Washington, D.C. When the Senate session resumes on April 17th, the session resumes. ' _
The senator's recent hospitalization was likely exacerbated by his tight November win in the Pennsylvania Senate race. In an upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Fetterman will discuss how his depression had led him to "stop leaving his bed", "stop eating," "drop weight" and "stop engaging some of the things [he] loves in his life."
The return of Senator Fetterman to the Senate will be a welcome relief to Senate Democrats, who had difficulty advancing some of President Biden's judicial nominees in his absence.