Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s doctor announced Wednesday that the Illinois Democrat has been absent from Congress in order to receive treatment for a mood disorder.
"The Congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder," Jackson's physician said in a statement provided to Yahoo News via the congressman's congressional office. "He is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery." The statement indicated that Jackson's attending physician and treatment center "will not be disclosed in order to protect his continuing privacy."
Jackson's chief of staff Rick Bryant added that "rumors" about Jackson receiving treatment for alcohol or substance abuse are false.
Andrea Mitchell reported on NBC "Nightly News" Wednesday night that friends say Jackson is currently in a rehab facility being treated for alcoholism and addiction.
Jackson's wife Sandi Jackson immediately denied the NBC report in a text to NBC Chicago.
Jackson faced increasing pressure this week to provide details about his leave of absence from Congress.
Jackson's office told The Associated Press that reports
about the 47-year-old congressman being treated for "alcohol or
substance abuse" weren't true. His spokesman declined to elaborate on
the statement.
When Jackson's
medical leave was first announced, his office said he was being treated
for exhaustion. Last week his staff said his condition was worse than
previously thought and required inpatient treatment, saying Jackson had
been privately battling emotional problems.
The
timing of the leave has raised questions, in part because Jackson is
facing an ethics investigation in the U.S. House connected to imprisoned
former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Earlier
Wednesday, the AP noted, Democratic leaders in the U.S. House joined Jackson's
colleagues and constituents in urging the congressman to provide a
public update about his condition. House Leader Nancy Pelosi, when asked about Jackson, said she hoped he would have "the appropriate evaluation so he can share that information."
"I
feel sad that whatever the situation is that he finds himself having to
be away from Congress," Pelosi said. "Hopefully we'll see him back here
soon again."
Several experts said that based on the doctor's use of the term "mood disorder,"
they believed Jackson might be suffering from depression. Doctors
interviewed by The Associated Press who didn't have first-hand knowledge
of Jackson's condition said the term typically refers to depression or
bipolar disorder, which used to be known as manic depression.
Dr.
Daniel Yohanna, vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, said depression is
the more common and affects about 5 percent of men at some point in
their lives. Symptoms can range from sleep disturbance and appetite
problems to hopelessness and thoughts of suicide, though cure rates are
very high, he said.
"It could
come out of nowhere, it runs in families, you could have a genetic
predisposition, or it can come after a difficulty in your life," he
said. "Once it gets rolling it's hard to stop it on your own."
Ian
Gotlib, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, said
depression is generally treated on an outpatient basis. But if doctors
were concerned about the safety of the patient or if the disorder were
severe enough, they could recommend inpatient treatment.
"The
good news is that it's clearly treatable," Gotlib said, adding that
counseling and prescription drugs would be likely for inpatient
treatment and that it could take weeks.
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