Opinion: The example John Fetterman is setting

Editor’s Note: Dr. Peggy Drexler is a research psychologist, documentary film producer and author, including two books about gender and family and the forthcoming “Mean,” a book about women behaving badly, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. Her latest film, “King Coal,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. View more opinion on CNN.

In 1972, Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern chose as his running mate Thomas Eagleton. Eagleton was a choice pick—the youngest-ever Attorney General in Missouri history who became a popular senator.

But not long after, the rumors began: Eagleton had been hospitalized for depression the decade before and undergone shock therapy. It didn’t matter that Eagleton had gone on to build a successful career—the suggestion of any sort of mental illness, ever, was enough.

It was a campaign that ended before it began. McGovern dropped Eagleton from the ticket, but eventually lost in a landslide anyway to the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon.

Some 50 years later, depression is less of an outlier, to say the least. Figures from the National Institute of Mental Health show that an estimated 21 million adults in the United States—nearly one in 10—has had at least one major depressive episode. The incidence of any type of mental health issue is even greater: one in four Americans have suffered from some form of mental illness, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

If we’ve been lucky enough to not count ourselves among the afflicted, most certainly we’ve known someone who has. Depression is so widespread that very few of us are not impacted.

But are we ready to see elected officials through their depression publicly? On Thursday, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center “to receive treatment for clinical depression,” according to his chief of staff. Fetterman had a near-fatal stroke during his campaign last year and has spent many of his months of recovery not so much recovering as pushing through, campaigning competitively and now, as a freshman senator, working to prove himself to his peers and his constituents.

The good news is that he sought out the helps he needs—and that, at least so far, his supporters seem to be compassionate. As they should be: Besides the fact that, statistically, most of us have been impacted by depression in some form or another, many people do not get their depression treated. It’s a sign of strength to know when you need help and to get it.

And yet: Almost immediately, a number of conservative voices callously and prematurely questioned whether Fetterman was fit to serve. (Of course, more liberal readers may also have political motives when unquestionably backing Fetterman.)

The best response, of course, is somewhere in the middle—commending Fetterman for his courage to seek treatment while considering, with sincerity and when the time is right, whether continuing to serve in a stressful position that impacts so many is in both his and his constituents’ best interests. The fact is that it’s a fair question to ask. But it’s crucial to remember that depression is as common as the common cold. In itself, depression simply isn’t prohibitive to thriving in life and career.

We’re right to want to know about the health issues facing our leaders and the steps they’re taking to get the help they need, but it’s important to remember that millions of Americans battle depression and lead highly productive, successful lives. We aren’t living in the 1970s anymore; we’ve come far in our understanding of an illness that affects so many people.

In fact, Fetterman’s depression—and his willingness to talk about it—may make him a more compassionate leader and appealing candidate. We’re living in tough times, and almost everybody hurts; if our leaders are meant to represent us, how can we possibly fault them for being, in fact, just like us?

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to connect with a trained counselor or visit 988lifeline.org.