‘I Thought It Might End My Career’: Four Congressional Dems Open Up About Their Mental Health Struggles in Emotional Conversation
ABC News’ Brittany Shepard hosted a moving conversation with four Congressional Democrats who opened up about America’s mental health struggles — including their own.
Sheppard interviewed Sen. Tina Smith (MN), and Reps. Seth Moulton (MA), Ritchie Torres (NY) and Ruben Gallego (AZ). The discussion took place amid the ongoing news about Senator John Fetterman’s (PA) psychiatric treatment for depression.
The conversation opened with the four lawmakers discussing the mental health challenges each of them faced in the past. When asked about Fetterman’s hospitalization, Smith offered her “intense empathy” for Fetterman, while Gallego said “I was scared for him.”
“I know when you start talking about mental illness or what you’re dealing with, there’s also people that will target you for it,” Gallego said. “They will try to tear you down, they will try to use it against you, against your family.”
When asked if he was ever “scared” about the reaction to speaking publicly about mental health challenges, Moulton said “I thought it might end my career.”
“I thought I could be out of politics the next day,” he said. “Instead of being castigated, I remember how many people in the next few days and weeks came up to me and just opened up.”
“Telling our stories is a form of public service,” Torres added. “We represent people who are deeply affected by mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, who want to see themselves and their elected officials. And I felt like I had a profound obligation to confront the culture of silence and stigma and shame that often surrounds the subject of mental health.”
While Moulton was gladdened by the “tremendous progress” America has made in dispelling mental health stigmas, he noted that “we have so much further to go.” He and his colleagues continued by pitching ideas Congress could take to further advance the country’s mental health.
Watch above via ABC.
