WASHINGTON \u2014 Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., made his return to the Capitol on Tuesday, saying he was treated for depression during a nearly four-month disappearance from the public eye.<\/p>\n
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It was Kean\u2019s first time in the House of Representatives since March 5, having missed more than 140 votes in the chamber since then.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,\u201d Kean said in a speech on the House floor.<\/p>\n
He said his doctors \u201crecommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness\u201d and added that depression means more than \u201cfeeling sad\u201d \u2014 \u201cit is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I am grateful that I listened to my doctors,\u201d Kean said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m grateful for the exceptional care that I received from doctors, nurses and support staff. I am grateful that I accepted help. Because today, I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean ignored questions from reporters as he walked into the Capitol. He did not discuss his remarks further after this speech, instead getting into a car and leaving.<\/p>\n
Kean\u2019s unusual absence brought a national spotlight to the two-term congressman, especially because he represents a swing district<\/a> that\u2019s expected to be highly competitive this fall and shape the balance of power in the House. His congressional office did not provide information about his whereabouts, and colleagues told reporters they hadn\u2019t heard from him. Meanwhile, media outlets flocked to his district to speak to neighbors<\/a> and knock on his door.<\/p>\n Kean, 57, was first elected in 2022. He was unopposed in his June 3 primary for renomination to a third term and will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in November.<\/p>\n Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., predicted Tuesday morning: \u201cI think Tom gets re-elected easily this fall.\u201d<\/p>\n Bennett, Kean\u2019s Democratic opponent, said in her own statement that she is \u201crelieved that Congressman Tom Kean Jr. is well and continue to wish him good health. But let\u2019s be clear: I got into this race because Tom Kean Jr. was failing our community long before this absence.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., made his return to the Capitol on Tuesday, saying he was treated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770326,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[64,63,137,514,515],"class_list":["post-770325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}