Sen. John Fetterman to write book about his experience with depression

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is writing a memoir about his lifelong experiences with clinical depression, Semafor’s Max Tani reported on Tuesday. 

Fetterman has been open about his mental health struggles since he was first hospitalized in February 2023 in order to receive inpatient treatment for the disease, just a few weeks after he was sworn in to the U.S. Senate. 

Fetterman went on to spend six weeks at Walter Reed Military Medical Center before he was discharged at the end of March 2023.

“I want everyone to know that depression is treatable, and treatment works,” Fetterman said in a statement upon his discharge from Walter Reed. “This isn’t about politics — right now there are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties.”

Fetterman’s office said at the time that he had checked in to Walter Reed because his depression had gotten so bad he had stopped eating and drinking, was having trouble sleeping, and had low energy and motivation.

In December, Fetterman told NBC News that he had checked in to Walter Reed because his depression got so bad that he physically could not get out of bed.

“People hear all their lives about ‘I can’t get out of bed,’ and you really can’t understand what that really means. You can’t get out of bed until it happens to you. And it did,” Fetterman said in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.

Since going public about his treatment, Fetterman has given interviews about the benefits of mental health treatment, hoping to end stigmas connected with the disease that sometimes stop people from seeking help.

“I’m always talking about mental health, because I want everybody that can hear that is that help works, and you should get help,” Fetterman said, adding: “Please, don’t suffer any longer, because you deserve to be better. And I’m so grateful to do that, and I’m paying it forward by talking about it.”

It’s unclear when Fetterman’s memoir about his experiences with depression will be released.

Tani reported that Fetterman is co-writing the book, titled “Unfettered,” with Buzz Bissinger, the acclaimed author whose 1990 book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream” was turned into a film and a television series on NBC.