depression and it felt like something you know that he didn't see as urgent it was, you know, like you said, a little melancholic. this is just how i am. but it was on that campaign trail. i think after the stroke, and it's also good to mention that you know, there are stats that about one in three, um stroke recovery patients to develop depression. and so the way that his doctor is worded, this kind of as a perfect storm of he had a stroke. he's recovering and then started getting some of these nasty comments. there's you know, one that you can tell really sticks with him, which is talking about people were calling me a vegetable. um and he was nervous to go into this debate, knowing that people are going to see that he is not speaking perfectly, and he will miss some words. and so after that debate really seemed like when he noticed. this is a bigger issue that i've been putting aside. now you talk about giselle, his wife and she talked obviously about this with you as well. and
himself. think about this. this is a person you know who had been elected to the u. s senate still having those feelings, saying in part quote, i realized that that could be an option. i wasn't thinking about self harm, but i was firmly in different to living. i decided that i had one chance to address this right now . kyler alvear, people's politics editor who interviewed the fetterman and i really appreciate your time. i mean, you know this is in this interview, senator veteran with you is incredibly open, and he said that it had actually been years. i thought this was fascinating that he pushed back on the idea that he was depressed and he told you that he thought quote. i'm just a little melancholic. maybe a little blue. and then he added, i've never thought that it was significant enough to get help. um and then then something changed. what else do you have to say to you about when he realized he needed to get help? yeah no, you're exactly right. that this is something that you know, i think he's dealt with his whole lh his whole life. and it was giselle and their marriage who first brought that up and said, you know, i think this could be
spending so much time with him. i think you know, i haven't spent time with him before his treatment. but just from what i've seen when i've heard in previous interviews, he feels like a very different person. you can tell that something is switched inside of his brain since going to walter reed, where he just has, you know, he talked about depression is paying, and he's never known life without pain, and now there's a moment where he says, um you know, it's this new feeling. it's joy and giselle johnson says. it's a first. it's something that he's never experienced. so he's he's feeling happy and emotional, but you can tell that he's you know , looking back on it with pain that he let it get this far, but feeling really good about where he's at tyler. thank you very much, and it is such a fascinating thing, and it's important for people to realize that relationship between pain and depression. the real physical pain, thank you very much, and you can read all of kylie's interview with the betterment in the new issue of people that comes out on friday.