What lawmakers’ depression disclosures mean for men’s mental health

Representative Tom Kean Jr. (R-New Jersey) is the latest member of Congress to speak openly about a hospitalization for depression, telling colleagues on the House floor in late June that a nearly four-month absence from Washington was due to inpatient treatment for the illness.

“When people hear the word depression, many people think (or) simply feel it means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that. It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it’s difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be,” said Kean. The veteran lawmaker had kept the reason for his absence private for months, saying he had underestimated how long his recovery would take.

“I am grateful that I accepted help,” he told the chamber. “Today I stand before you healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love.”

Kean’s disclosure echoes a similar moment in 2023 involving Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), who sent a strong message to the public after his absence from Congress for inpatient treatment for clinical depression.

“I want everyone to know that depression is treatable, and treatment works,” the senator said at the time. “This isn’t about politics. Right now, there are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties. If you need help, please get help.”

News that Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C. in February 2023 drew attention to the effort to get more men to seek treatment for the condition—attention that Kean’s disclosure has renewed.

Fetterman's transparency around his depression prompted other lawmakers to speak out, including Representative Ritchie Torres (D-New York), who has said he would not be alive todayopens in new window—let alone serving in Congress—were it not for the mental health care and antidepressant medication he received after being hospitalized for suicidal ideation nearly two decades ago, and who has since called for greater transparency from public officials who take extended medical leaves.

Former Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island) has also spoken publicly about his own struggles with depression, bipolar disorder, and addiction. Kennedy went on to co-author the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 6983opens in new window) and later founded The Kennedy Forum to advance mental health and addiction care policy.

Their willingness to speak publicly doesn't make the vulnerability any less real, Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA’s executive lead psychologist for practice, told The Hillopens in new window. 

“Many times, people who are depressed have profound feelings of worthlessness, or that they’re not as good as other people,” she said. “That’s very difficult to talk about publicly. It requires an incredible amount of vulnerability to be willing to share that with others.”

Decades of research show men are faropens in new window less likely to seek help for mental health difficultiesopens in new window. Some researchers and clinicians now recognize that the traditional signs of depressionopens in new window, which include persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and a loss of interest in hobbies, may not represent many men’s experience of a depressive episode. Although research is just beginning to support the idea of a “male-based depression,” it is possible men may instead express their depression in terms of increases in fatigue, irritability, and anger. Research has also suggested that menopens in new window are more prone to addictive behaviorsopens in new window, particularly alcohol dependence/abuse and substance use disorder, which can mask the signs of depression, making it harder to detect and treat effectively.

In 2019, APA issued new Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Boys and Men to recognize and address these concerns in boys and men. Thirteen years in the making, they draw on more than 40 years of research showing that socializing boys to suppress their emotions may cause damage that echoes both inwardly and outwardly.

“Several lines of research evidence suggest that men and boys face a double-bind when it comes to mental health problems,” said Ryon McDermott, PhD, a past president of APA’s Division 51 (Society for the Psychology of Men and Masculinities). He noted that specifically, males suffer in silence when they internalize restrictive gender roles that prohibit psychological help-seeking because it is seen as weak or “unmanly.”  Therefore, some males are constricted in their ability to cope with psychological distress, and this further exacerbates their problems.

Fetterman spoke candidly in 2023 about the hopelessness he personally experienced before seeking inpatient treatment for clinical depression.

“I had stopped leaving my bed, I’d stopped eating, I was dropping weight and I’d stopped engaging in some of the things that I love most in my life,” he said during an interview with CBS News Sunday Morningopens in new window several days before his discharge from Walter Reed. 

Major depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Approximately 19% of U.S. adults—51 million Americans—report currently having or being treated for depression in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from Gallupopens in new window.

While everyone experiences sadness at times, depression is something more. Depression is extreme sadness or despair that lasts more than a few days. It interferes with the activities of daily life and can cause physical symptoms such as pain, weight loss or gain, sleeping pattern disruptions, or lack of energy.

People with depression may also experience an inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

Fortunately, depression is treatable. A combination of therapy and antidepressant medication can help ensure recovery.

While most people experiencing depression are treated on an outpatient basis, in cases of severe or treatment-resistant depression, a short hospital stay may be needed to help them recover in a safe and stable environment. Being hospitalized for depression can help ensure the patient will have an easier time receiving any physical care they may need to deal with the effects of their depression. It also gives health care professionals a better opportunity to work out medication possibilities and dosages, which can be difficult when a patient is also undergoing treatment for physical symptoms. In addition, some therapies for depression can only be carried out in a hospital setting and may be needed if other treatments have not been effective.

The earlier people seek treatment—even if they’re not having intense symptoms of depression—the better able they will be to learn coping or adjustment strategies, said Meghan Beier, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“If we can catch people right when they’re diagnosed and talk about some of the things they might experience and then give some ideas for how they might handle that if it shows up, then they have tools in their tool belt, and they aren’t surprised by it and it rocks their world less,” she said.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988opens in new window for free and confidential support from trained counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.