Almost two months after her husband disappeared from the scene, while all sorts of rumors have been flying about what really happened, and after a terse campaign statement saying only that he had a “mood disorder”, the wife of Jessie Jackson, Jr. finally tells the media what’s going on: he’s been hospitalized for major depression and he’s getting better, slowly. I don’t think the Jacksons did themselves any favors in the way this has been handled, and they sure didn’t anything to help de-stigmatize mental illness in the process.
Reader Interactions
83Comments
Comments are closed.
Ella in New Mexico
Jeezus, given all the serious and complex problems this nation and my own family are facing right, Jesse Jackson Jr.’s rightfully private battle with severe depression and his failure to “do it right” for the prying eyes of the public is so far down the list of things I give one fuck about.
Omnes Omnibus
Maybe their first priority was doing what was best for JJ, Jr., and concerns about politics and destigmatizing mental illness were a distant second.
Tony the Wonderhorse
9 chances out of 10, there are relevant details we don’t know yet. Maybe he just hates himself for selling out.
For a long time, I did.
rikyrah
I happen to be a supporter of JJJ.
I think what they did has to be looked through the prism of:
a) being Black
b) being a Jackson with regards to the Chicago media
I know this is a generalization, but there’s still a big stigma against mental health help within the Black community.
You also kid yourself if you think this could have been handled better within the context of the Chicago media. It still would have been ugly.
They handled it the way they handled it. I just hope he gets well, for his and his family’s sake.
MikeBoyScout
Come on now. Give the man a break.
Brachiator
There is still a great deal of fear and misunderstanding about mental illness, and people have a hard enough time dealing with it without the demands that they also become public advocates about it.
Add to this the complications of a political career. No one still knows the extent of Jackson’s illness or whether he will be able to resume his political duties.
A sad situation. I wish him and his family the best.
Mnemosyne
@rikyrah:
I remember reading somewhere (sorry, no link) that African-Americans with major depression have a high rate of being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia because treatment is often so delayed (due to multiple factors, including lack of access to psychiatric help) that they end up developing psychotic symptoms.
So, as in so many ways, while mental health care is effed up for everyone in this country, AA people have it even worse. My nephew (who is mixed race) and his half-brother both have severe ADHD and probably bipolar disorder, but their father has never been diagnosed because he’s spent most of his adult life in and out of prison and no one bothers to try and find out if you have a treatable condition once you’ve been to jail a couple of times.
Mino
I think this is a topic best left to the family and their doctors and not blog-fodder. Least said , soonest mended… is definitely applicable.
BrianM
People with major depression sometimes don’t make good decisions. And it can be hard for their family to override their wishes. I’m with the “cut them some slack” crowd. *After* he’s better, we can insist he live up to our ideals.
pacem appellant
Well, let’s see, he’s been hospitalized (good), and he’s getting better (better!). He’s let the public know about his private medical condition, too. How does this not further de-stigmatize mental illness, especially one as detrimental as major depression? There are people I still haven’t told about my clinical depression! Like close family and friends. Bravo, JJJ, take care and I wish you well and hope for you a real and lasting recovery.
dan
Comments 1 & 2 saved me the typing.
shortstop
Agree with everyone saying that it’s not this guy’s job to destigmatize mental illness for everyone else. And if you just had to know, then you could’ve paid more attention — his father and mother have already publicly discussed the fact that it’s depression.
dr. bloor
For a lot of folks, it is precisely that hard, often harder. At times, it’s a function of their own misconceptions or prejudices about mental illness; in other cases, it’s out of a concern (sometimes quite accurate) about how others will receive the news.
As this post makes clear, folks can be rather judgmental about such things.
mistermix
To address some of the concerns here:
1) I’m not asking JJ Jr to become an advocate, just to issue an honest, clear press release within a few weeks of when he essentially disappeared from DC. There’s a difference between advocacy and simple honesty. And I do think being a public figure does give you a bit more responsibility to avoid treating mental illness like a shameful secret.
2) When you’re elected to represent people, and something happens to you that impedes your work, you owe your constituents an honest explanation of what’s going on with your health that’s keeping you from doing your job. Being a MoC means losing some privacy, for better or worse.
3) I sincerely doubt it is helpful to JJ Jr’s recovery or his continued mental health to treat this like a shameful incident. I certainly don’t know that for a fact, of course, but neither do we know that way his family treated this event was good for his mental health.
Hypatia's Momma
It’s none of our damned business.
Amir Khalid
So how should the Jacksons have handled this? Gone public from the outset, drawing the media’s attention, with Jesse Jr in such a fragile mental condition that he needed to be kept away from the news? How would that have helped him? Or second-guessing his wife’s handling of the matter, which does not seem to have been badly wrong at any time?
I have to agree with Omnes that when you’re ill, the most important thing for you and your family is getting well again, rather than explaining yourself to all and sundry. The time to contribute toward the destigmatizing of depression is when you are well free of the worst of it, and on the road to functioning normally again.
Anya
I think they dealt with it the way most families deal with it. In the begining it’s shocking, then they get more information and understand it, then they come to terms with it. But even when the family gains information and the knowledge to deal with mental illness, they’re often reluctant to discuss their loved one’s illness with others because they do not know how people will react. How could you fault them considering all the misconception that surrounds mental illness?
I hope JJ Jr. receives all the help and love he needs to deal with this illness. Recovery is possible and he’s in a great position to get there. I wish him well with his recovery journey.
Anya
@Amir Khalid: Also, too, THIS!
Hypatia's Momma
@mistermix:
No. Saying, “I’m taking time off for reasons of health” is all anyone should have to say. Demanding that they then publicly discuss their personal health issues may not be a technical violation of HIPAA but it runs close to the line.
shortstop
@mistermix: #1–There was a press release in the middle of July (within a few weeks of when he disappeared, and yes, it probably should have been sooner) that clearly said he was being treated for “mood disorder.” Is your complaint that it didn’t specifically identify one of the four or so illnesses that falls under that category? If so, why would you need to know that? #2–Sure, but what beyond the statement mentioned in #1 could the family have done at that point? No one knows when and if he’ll be able to get back to work. #3–Way out of line. That’s really not your call, and it’s presumptuous for you to make it.
LanceThruster
It’s sad how true mental health issues are regularly dismissed as character flaws.
Carl Nyberg
@Tony the Wonderhorse:
Agreed.
The powerful don’t feel like they have to be accountable.
It just feels like there’s been one attempt after another to either keep the public in the dark or mislead the public.
gbear
Over the last two years, I took a three month medical leave, lost a week to hospitalization, and still miss a couple days a month due to depression. Luckily I’m in the FMLA for it so my job is safe, but last time I had a job review, my boss suggested that I start saving my sick days for real illnesses, and he held back a raise because people were ‘concerned’ about my attitude (but he wouldn’t give details when I asked who and why). Next review comes up in a month and I’ve been making a point this year of asking my clients if my work has met their satisfaction, and everyone’s been happy with it. If the boss disses me again due to my ‘fake’ illness, I’m going to be ready.
Depression is a bitch, and it’s especially a bitch on a professional/career level. You really aren’t allowed to talk about how it affects your daily performance at work. I can understand Jackson’s reluctance to be forward about it.
Valdivia
@Omnes Omnibus:
this is very late but wanted to wish you a happy birthday.
I hope the media treat this as a teaching moment, but who am I kidding?
Carl Nyberg
I quipped yesterday that b/c JJJ is my rep and Kirk my Senator, I hope Dick Durbin doesn’t get sick or injured. I won’t have any representation in Congress.
Amir Khalid
@gbear:
I’ve been there too, and I know the feeling.
Linda Featheringill
I fully agree that JJJ is not required to de-stigmatize mental illness.
However, life is a funny thing. With his suffering and with all the attending publicity, he will have an opportunity to speak on the topic of depression, as someone who knows what he’s talking about.
This of course wouldn’t be a chance to gain wealth or power but it might be a golden opportunity to achieve satisfaction and make life better for lots and lots of people
Hope you do well, JJJ. We’re all in this together. :-)
Mnemosyne
@BrianM:
In most states, for better or for worse, it’s virtually impossible to force someone to get mental health treatment unless you can prove to a medical authority that they’re at grave risk of harming themselves (ie committing suicide) or harming others.
So there really wasn’t much the Jackson family could do other than ask, beg, and plead for him to get help.
Carl Nyberg
And as local voters have learned from the John Stroger case, the families of politicians aren’t a good source for the health of a hospitalized elected official.
The families of these elected officials tell the public what they think will manipulate the public the way the family wants them manipulated.
danah gaz (fka gaz)
I agree with Ella on this point:
“Jesse Jackson Jr.’s rightfully private battle with severe depression and his failure to “do it right” for the prying eyes of the public”
mistermix, get a hobby. Jerk.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Omnes Omnibus: I agree that the medical tx was appropriately the higher priority for the Jackson family. And I say that as someone whose professional duties, as a NAMI affiliate director, include extensive work to reduce the stigma around the brain disorders commonly referred to as mental illness. Likewise at the (woefully ignored recently) blog to which my name now links. But I will not criticize a decision to focus first on a family member’s health.
To no one’s surprise, I will have more to say as I read through the thread.
Brachiator
@mistermix: All your points are valid. But the plain fact is that neither Jackson nor his family gave you what you asked for. It appears as though dealing with this has been very difficult for them, as is often the case with mental illness, or even cancer, which still carries a stigma for people.
I don’t think you intend to come off as harsh as you appear, but it might be better to temper your prescription for transparency with a little more empathy.
Also, I don’t know whether you live in Jackson’s district, but it seems to me that after his family, and after considerable remove, his constituents are the ones who have to decide what they want to know, and how they want to proceed.
And yeah, at some level, maybe some of the laws that have developed concerning a president’s disability and absence need to be reviewed with respect to members of Congress and other federal officials, but still we ought to consider the human, the family dimension first.
quannlace
In the news squib about this, they also said they were investigating whether his depression could be tied into his recent weight loss surgery. Which sounds like an odd interaction.
Nethead Jay
@pacem appellant: @Amir Khalid: Thanks, both of you, you’ve said what I was trying to formulate and much better too. I’ve dealt with depression too.Mistermix, listen to what people are telling you.
Nethead Jay
@gbear: That’s extremely obnoxious of your boss and should be illegal. But I’m glad you’re aware and ready.
lol
@shortstop:
That July press release only came out after he’d been missing for several weeks without *any* sort of explanation from his office or family.
NobodySpecial
Another part of this is that they think his gastrointestinal surgery from a few years back might be a complicating factor. Given that, I’m fairly sure they wanted to wait to make sure the depression wasn’t triggered by the surgery’s aftereffects or whether it happened otherwise before making an announcement about him dealing with depression.
shortstop
@lol: Did you even finish reading my comment and the specific complaint to which it responded?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Brachiator: That pretty much nails it; thank you. Not that your comment will prevent me from adding another of my own.
SiubhanDuinne
I’m just going to say THAT to the majority of comments on this thread. Sorry, mistermix, but you’re making it sound as though he was trying to pull a Mark Sanford or something. I wish Rep. Jackson and his family all the best, and I do hope he’ll seize the opportunity of becoming an advocate for mental health issues and destigmatizing same, once he is back on his own road to health.
dmsilev
As a constituent of Congressman Jackson, I’m not particularly happy with the way that he, his family, and his staff handled things. As far as anyone on the outside knew, he just vanished with little or no clear explanation of what had happened. Weeks and weeks later, we finally find out.
I’m not saying that every last detail of a Congressman’s medical conditions need to be public, but he owes it to his employers, which is to say me and the other people in this neck of the woods, to at least let us know the broad strokes of what has happened and how long it might be before he’s back at work.
4tehlulz
@quannlace: That’s one I’ve never heard before, though if it affected his thyroid, it could be true.
Carl Nyberg
Also, Jackson didn’t start in the Mayo Clinic. He only arrived there recently.
So, the first six weeks or more of the disappearance are still unaccounted for.
shortstop
@Carl Nyberg:
Because you carefully read the linked story and have concluded that Sandi Jackson is telling the truth about Mayo but lying about him having been at GWH and Sierra Tucson Treatment Center earlier?
Or because you didn’t read the story?
Carl Nyberg
@dmsilev: I’m in Hegewisch. Where are you?
dmsilev
@Carl Nyberg:
Dear Lord, this.
For non-residents of Cook County, John Stroger was the President of the county board of commissioners, essentially the top man in the county government. A few years back, he was running in the primary election against a fairly strong opponent, and had a stroke shortly before the election. His family concealed the (very serious) nature of the stroke until *after* Stroger had won the primary. After the primary, the truth came out and Stroger withdrew from the nomination. Party bosses chose his replacement, who just “happened” to be his son Todd.
Who was a disaster in the office, but that’s another story.
dmsilev
@Carl Nyberg: Hyde Park. I used to be in John Lewis’s district, but after redistricting I’m now in Jackson’s.
Edit: Mega brain-fart. I meant I was originally in Bobby Rush’s district. No idea why I said Lewis.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Carl Nyberg: What part of it’s none of anybody’s fucking business beyond “he has a serious medical condition that’s being addressed by physicians” is don’t you get? Or are you in the crowd that wants to blame the patient?
@gbear: I can offer you some specific language to revise for your situation if you’d like. Your boss’s attitude is the kind that pisses me off beyond belief.
shortstop
@dmsilev: Hey, they learned that trick from that POS family named Lipinski (minus the stroke detail). At least we got rid of Stroger; Lipinski looks to be in it for the long haul.
Carl Nyberg
@shortstop: You’re right. I read the last story. The one where the Jackson family kinda implied he was at Mayo the whole time, but the statement from Mayo said they were just processing him in.
dmsilev
@shortstop: Seems to be a tradition around here, doesn’t it? I had mercifully forgotten about the Lipinski shuffle.
Carl Nyberg
I’ve been in the room when JJJ was either lying or grossly misinformed on his pet project, the Peotone airport, or whatever they are calling it now.
I don’t have much patience with incumbent members of Congress at this point. Republicans have largely become evil. And Democrats have become useless.
JJJ has spent enough time chasing the U.S. Senate seat, including in ways that were borderline illegal, banging cocktail waitresses, fumbling over high profile issues, and generally being wrong and then there’s the whole lying thing… that I don’t feel I owe him the benefit of the doubt.
Oh, and then there was his flirtations with endorsing Mark Kirk for Senate.
I’m sorry, but not all JJJ’s bad behavior is a symptom of a mental health problem.
And then there’s the incessant robocalls from his campaign and his wife’s campaign b/c I offered to help out at one point.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@quannlace: Actually not as odd as it sounds at first blush. Many hormones are involved in mood regulation and gastric processes affect hormonal balance. So it makes some physiological sense.
JoyfulA
When I was clinically depressed, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the things you expected. The course of depression was about four months.
sb
@Carl Nyberg:
Yeah, but.
I work with mentally ill people. I have yet to meet one that didn’t in some way, shape or form disappoint the people who loved and supported them because of their behavior. And it’s damn hard to discern whether the problem is the illness or the conscience choices they are making to be assholes. It’s awful.
Hypatia's Momma
@Carl Nyberg:
What has that to do with his right to privacy regarding the details of his health?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Okay, now I see why some IL folks could have some issues around the lack of news, and my apologies for getting strident. However, the general point remains. Serious health issue for which tx is ongoing should suffice.
Sawgrass Stan
Sure, Mistermix, that wasn’t so hard.
FOR YOU. You have no idea of the shame that you live in every waking second when you’re in major depression. You lose your career, but it wasn’t really yours anyway– you faked your way into it, and now everybody knows you’re a fake. You lose your friends, but you can’t blame them– you envy them. At least they can avoid having to be with a sad-sack like you, but you’re stuck every waking moment with the most contemptible human on the planet. Best to try and avoid people. At least you can hide your shame that way. And why won’t your family see what you are and go away too?
No idea if this is what Rep. Jackson is going through, but yes, it IS hard. His wife may have been trying to spare him the pain of knowing that his political career is over. If he saves his career, even with a solid loyal constituency, he’s Superman.
It’s damn ironic that somebody so tone-deaf to mental illness sniffs that “he didn’t do anything to de-stigmatize mental illness in the process.”
Well, at least you didn’t say, “Why doesn’t he just cheer up?”
shortstop
@Carl Nyberg: I’ve spoken with Rep. Jackson more than once, heard him speak many times and followed his career pretty closely, and I’m not a fan. Amazingly, I’m still able to think he doesn’t owe everybody a detailed explanation of the health problems he’s going through right now just because they want one. Do you have any idea how goofy you sound?
kc
It’s funny how quickly people get angry on these threads.
lol
@shortstop:
As an elected member of Congress, he *does* owe his constituents an explanation of his health problems.
Mitt Romney doesn’t “owe” any one his tax returns either, but just the same, when you’re elected to serve people in government, you’re held to higher standard.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Sawgrass Stan: Your comment is kind of a must read; thank you.
I’m going to insist that mistermix has his heart in the right place on this topic. But that perhaps there is a less than complete insight into how the stigma affects the community that surrounds a person who has a brain disorder from the immediate to extended family to friends to work superiors and colleagues to casual acquaintances. Any or all of whom may have inaccurate or outright hostile views of what brain disorders commonly known as mental illness are, as well as what is an appropriate response to the manifestations of such a disorder. And that’s before you get to treatment.
In other words, it’s really fucking hard to have one of these diseases, because I guarandamntee that you will be judged for having it in a way you would not if you had a stroke, heart attack, heart disease, or cancer. Without having either been in that situation, or living through it with someone close to you who was, it is difficult to have a full appreciation of the experience.
IM
a) yes it is that hard
b) It is harder for a politician
c) As others pointed out, they said mood disorder. depression is a mnood disorder. I and probably a lot of other people promptly thought of depression, depression being the most common mood disorder.
So his constituents and the wider public had the information mood disorder (probably depression).
Isn’t that good enough?
shortstop
@lol: I notice you left out the word “detailed” when quoting my comment. I’m sure it was an inadvertent omission; this couldn’t be two comments in a row in which you’ve responded to something other than what I actually said.
Omnes Omnibus
@lol: As noted several times, there was an explanation of a mood disorder and now there is a more complete statement. Are his constituents owed a minute by minute update of his health status?
scott
So, in addition to Jackson and his family going through something that’s putting all of them through the emotional wringer, they get the added pleasure of having someone tell them that they’re doing it wrong. Thanks for nothing, Judgmental Superiorpants.
Handy
It would have done no good to anybody if the family told everyone he was suicidal or had suicidal thoughts which is often the case in severe depression.
It is his business and it’s wrong to say they did something wrong. There is no good way to handle a real bad situation. Jackson is likely trying to salvage his career and family relationships at the same time as dealing with depression.
A little slack would be the kind thing to give him for now.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@IM: This post also sums it up well. @Omnes Omnibus: There was indeed an explanation of medical issues that should have been sufficient. That it wasn’t, for many, is due in part to the voyeuristic approach we take to public figures in this country. It’s also due to the prevalent misunderstanding/stigma around brain disorders.
WaterGirl
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Last week you referred to “dx” in a comment, which I guessed was diagnosis. Is “tx” treatment?
Have I guessed correctly? Are there any other “x” words we should know about for the future? :-)
WaterGirl
@lol: As an IL resident, i have heard NOTHING from Mark Kirk or his office or his family to tell me if/how well he is able to function and if/when he might be able to do his job again.
So it’s okay when republicans do that but not democrats?
Mnemosyne
@lol:
I realize that this is confusing for you, but diagnosing a mood disorder or other mental illness isn’t as easy as diagnosing cancer or diabetes. It may not have been clear when Jackson first went into treatment exactly what the issue was: was it chemical dependence? depression? bipolar? Did it appear to be one issue on the surface but turn out to be a different one?
Just as a data point, I went through treatment for depression for seven years before we were able to dig to the bottom of it and discover that the real problem was that I had untreated ADHD and the effects of that were causing the depression. Anyone who has comorbid (ie concurrently occurring) illnesses is going to be very difficult to get an accurate diagnosis for.
gnomedad
I’m sure there’s worse that this out there, so whatever they “should” do, I can’t blame them for playing it cool on this.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@WaterGirl: You are correct. I’m such a bad typist that I shorten whatever I can, and since I’m often typing notes to myself for NAMI presentations, I forget that I sometimes type for regular people! Sorry about that.
And no more x words come to mind, beyond Rx, which is obvious.
WaterGirl
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): See, and now you made me google NAMI, too! :-)
I have googled that before after reading your comments, but that’s an acronym I just can’t seem to retain. But tx and dx did not come up in google, like NAMI does.
JoyfulA
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Px, premiums, which the insurance companies gladly take but pay off very little for these sorts of problems.
WereBear
Sadly, it’s not. As much as half of all WLS patients have serious malnutrition issues because they can no longer absorb nutrients. In the case of the B vitamins and magnesium, this can cause mental havoc pretty quickly.
paul
Mistermix:
When you talk about demystifying mental illness, you seem to lack any sense of irony.
Ruckus
I know when I was getting help only two of my best friends knew that I was. I didn’t use my health insurance because I didn’t want my employer to find out. I didn’t want to tell anyone, the shame of not being able to handle everything, of being less of a man. It was silly and stupid but there you go.
As many have pointed out mental illness is very personal. I’ve never known anyone to want others to know. And I’ve known a few guys who would even brag about having an STD.
One’s private medical medical needs should remain private. If, and that’s a big if they effect their job then their employer may need to know, if not then it’s no one elses business. Just because some want to go on TV and discuss every aspect of their lives(kardashians) doesn’t mean everyone else has to.
Raincitygirl
I have clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder and a sleep disorder. See Mnemosyne’s post above for more details about co-morbidity and the difficulty of diagnosing multiple mental illnesses. I am not in a major depression now, but I have been in the past and I did not cope well. Sometimes my family didn’t cope all that brilliantly either.
At no point in any of my major depressive episodes was I (or my family, for that matter) capable of going, “Hmmm, I wonder if my actions are de-stigmatizing mental illness for other people.” I don’t give a shit that Jesse Jackson Jr. is a politician. He’s still a human being.
Normally I like your posts, Mistermix, but I found this one to be, at best, misguided. I suspect if you or a close family member had been down this road yourselves, you might have reacted to JJ Jr’s illness differently.
PDog
Having traveled this particular road myself, one step short of hospitalisation, I can say it is that hard. I’m three months in on treatment after the same length of a depressive episode, and I still haven’t told my own mother. I only told work because it was threatening my continued employment. “Should” isn’t an operating concept when you’re in this state. Maybe once he’s recovered, he’ll give you what you want. Let him do his contrition/resign out of shame in his own time.
Of course, it is the business of his constituents, but no one is well served by handling it in a hasty way. You might as well ask a person experiencing a major depressive episode to explain Fermat’s last thereom as you would to consider their actions within the context of the stigmatisation of mental illness.
Sorry dude. Completely wrongheaded on this one. Your attitude gives aid and comfort to the stigmatisation of mental illness.
Patricia Kayden
Hope Jesse Jackson, Jr., gets all the treatment he needs and gets better soon.
SectarianSofa
@Raincitygirl:
Well said. There have been a lot of good comments in this thread, and I’m also of the general opinion that nothing having to do with mood disorders is easy.
As far as I’m concerned, the stigma is still enormous in most quarters. When was the last time anyone here called in to work sick for, e.g., an acute episode of depression or anxiety? I’d say in most of the inhabited world, that’s a dicey proposition. If the JJJ camp said he was dealing with a serious health issue, that’s good enough for me.
David Koch
wow