USA Today:

Sen. John Fetterman is not alone.

As the Pennsylvania Democrat remains hospitalized for clinical depression – a medical condition impacting half the country – current and former members of Congress shared personal stories with USA TODAY that show even the nation's political leaders are not spared this struggle.

"There's no need to hide it. There's no need to be ashamed of it," Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., told USA TODAY.

The nation's elite political class who have experienced mental illness come from wealthy and poor backgrounds alike. They've had advantages. They've had disadvantages.

They are proof depression can impact anyone – and doesn't always need a reason to begin – and there's help available.

Hospitalized for depression, then hope

Torres experienced food insecurity growing up in New York's Throggs Neck public housing, with broken heaters in cold winters and extensive mold.

Across the street from his childhood home, where he was raised by a single mother, was a Donald Trump golf course that New York City poured $100 million into.

He earned a spot at New York University, which has one of the most exclusive admission rates in the country. But during his freshman year, his grandmother died.

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