Lawmakers who’ve battled depression hope to end stigma, yet have no concrete ideas to help.
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-New Jersey) returned to Capitol Hill this week after several months away and revealed he had been hospitalized for depression. Bill Clark/AP Bill Clark/AP
About a decade ago, Rep. Adam Smith was oddly relieved when his chronic hip pain grew so awful that he had to have surgeries and miss time on Capitol Hill.
“Now at least I have something socially acceptable wrong with me,” the Washington Democrat recalled thinking.
In fact, Smith was battling deep anxiety and depression, leading to a three-month span where he missed 96% of roll calls in the House. His public explanations only cited the hip issues and never mentioned his mental health.
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