Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. being treated for "mood disorder"

[MindMover]

Source: Reuters

Reuters) - Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. is receiving intensive treatment for a "mood disorder" and is expected to make a full recovery, his doctor said on Wednesday, responding to mounting political pressure for more information on his condition.

Jackson, 47, has been on a month-long leave of absence from his job. Until Wednesday, the nature of the illness had not been disclosed.

Rumors that the veteran Democratic congressman from Illinois was being treated for alcohol or drug abuse are not true, his chief of staff Rick Bryant said in a statement.

"The Congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder," Jackson's office quoted his unnamed doctor as saying in the same statement." He is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery."

The statement added that Jackson was entitled to privacy under federal law and the name of the treatment facility and the doctor would not be disclosed.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/us-usa-campaign-jackson-health-idUSBRE86B00H20120712?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=574655

[mucifer]

1. Lots of noise about this in the Chicago media. Lots of columnists making fun of Mr Jackson.

I hope he is ok. It all is very weird.

[msanthrope]

2. Get Better, Mr. Jackson! nt

[southernyankeebelle]

51. Why just not say he had a nervous breakdown? I never heard of mood disorder. Sounds just

like a nerous breakdown. Nothing to be ashamed of. I hope he gets well soon.

[Liberal_in_LA]

61. +100

[loyalsister]

62. Because "nervous breakdown" is a stereotype particularly used by the entertainment industry

Mood disorder is a clinical term that is applied to various forms of depression and bipolar disorders well as a number of less know disorders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_disorder

[southernyankeebelle]

76. Well I wish him well.

[MADem]

69. Google it. It is a term that describes a variety of conditions, from depression to

hyper-mania and everything in-between. It's a common umbrella term in the psychiatric community.

They didn't say "nervous breakdown" because that's not what the problem is.

[southernyankeebelle]

74. Well it sure sounds like it. There is no shame in that. I wish him well.

[former9thward]

3. It must be nice to take off from your job and not tell anyone why you are going.

In addition you keep full pay and benefits for as long as you want. Too bad everyone can't do that!

[FarPoint]

4. It sure is a needed benefit.....

When your ill, clinically or mentally one needs to focus on their recovery. I appreciate my employee benefits as I sense Mr. Jackson does as well. I hope for his speedy recovery.

[former9thward]

5. He has not been honest with his constituents.

I'm am willing to bet you could not just walk off your job and not tell your employer anything for a month. And now his office comes up with "mood disorder". What bs. I'll bet every employee in the country could take off with that. He is on the public payroll and the public deserves an explanation in real time.

[FarPoint]

6. Sure can take off work...

There is the FMLA, sick time, vacation time and short and/or long term disability. I don't understand your underlying irritability with Mr Jackson's leave of absence as it's no different essentially than my benefit plan as a full time employee. I work for Walgreens.

[former9thward]

9. So Walgreens would allow you to leave your job for a month

without telling them a single thing. Right.

[FarPoint]

12. Read post #7

That outlines the parameters of confidentiality.

[former9thward]

36. He has not told ANYBODY anything.

And still hasn't. But you equate that with something you could do. BS.

[FarPoint]

43. Do you have a job?

If so, do you have full time benifit as I do?

[former9thward]

44. My info is posted in My Profile.

I see yours is not. I guess at whatever job you have you could walk away for seven weeks without telling anyone anything. Easy to say that on the internet.

[FarPoint]

53. May I direct you to read....

Post #11 now.

[former9thward]

67. May I direct you to read...

the federal government's website on the matter rather than bullshit posted by anonymous posters.

The Privacy Rule does not protect your employment records, even if the information in those records is health-related. Generally, the Privacy Rule also does not apply to the actions of an employer, including the actions of a manager in your workplace.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/employers.html

[MADem]

70. You need to do a better job of reading.

The "actions of an employer" are not the "actions of the employee." Your little link says nothing about a duty of the employee to notify.

The employer asked, and got the response "mood disorder."

Your remarks here are very intolerant, I must say. It's rare to see someone on a progressive web site make such cruel and uneducated comments about issues of mental health.

[former9thward]

72. It is incredible you think a person can leave a job without telling anyone anything.

Again I challenge you to do that at your job if you have one. Take off for seven weeks and demand your pay and benefits continue without telling anyone why you are leaving. You will soon find out what an employer can do. But don't take my word for it -- and I know you won't -- just do it! Report back to us what happened.

As far as mental health is concerned I don't believe that is involved here. You may wish to believe it, that is your business. I have met Jackson several times and a number of years ago I debated him at a church on Chicago's south side about an airport proposal he was pushing. I think this is a cover for something else and that is why Chicago Democrats are abandoning him.

[MADem]

73. You still haven't told me how you'd "tell" your employers if you got hit by a crosstown bus and were

in a coma. You think you'd get fired in that instance? Or is it only "mental health" illness that you find problematic? That's what I'm getting from you.

And, since you didn't read what I wrote the first time, let me repeat that I don't have a job. If I were still in the one I had for decades, I know that the hospital would report appropriately to my employer via my insurance company, while retaining patient privacy under HIPAA. That is plainly what has happened in this case--you don't have to be a genius to figure that out, since the umbrella term "mood disorder" is what is being used.

I can't believe you say you're a lawyer and you don't know this, or seem unwilling or unable to read the documentation provided to you. This is Employee Relations 101 stuff. Your doubling down causes me to look askance.

Can you direct us to a tape of your "debate" with Rep. Jackson? Why would you be "debating" him? Were you a primary candidate?

Or by "debate," do you mean you asked him a question at a "town hall?" Or while he was going to the men's after church?

Keep digging.

[former9thward]

75. I don't need to keep digging. You are doing that job just fine.

1) The debate was televised on a local cable outlet. No I can't direct you to to any tape because I'm sure after 10 years it no longer exists. Jackson was pushing a new airport which was controversial in the community and I opposed it. If you don't want to believe that who cares? Certainly not me. Anyone who lived in Chicago at the time is familiar with the controversy.

2) "Or while he was going to the men's after church?" I don't know what that phrase means, I'll leave it to others to determine that.

3) Jackson was not hit by a bus and as far as we know is not in a coma. When you have to build those strawmen you don't have much left. You remind me of a union member when I was handling grievances and contract disputes for a local union. He came into my office with a copy of the contract with various sections cut out. I asked him why he had cut those sections out. He said "because I don't like them!" You are the same, you want to pick and choose what sections of HIPAA you like and ignore those you don't.

4) All this talk of HIPAA is nonsense anyway. Jackson is a public official and he owes it to the public to disclose what is going on whether you like or not.

5) Please don't go to law school. There will be laws you don't like and you don't get to cut them out of your book.

[MADem]

77. You're the one holding the shovel.

So, why were you "debating" Mr. Jackson? Were you running for office? Asking a question? What?

If you didn't buttonhole him in the men's room to berate him (that's what that meant, FYI) what were you doing debating him in a church? Why would he debate you? In a church?

And just because YOU--a so-called LAWYER--say All this talk of HIPAA is nonsense anyway does not make it so. The law of the land is not "nonsense" and I find that comment very curious, indeed.

Tell ya what--I'll go to the same law school you appear to have gone to--I'll learn just as much, I'm sure. I already know more about HIPAA than you do!

[former9thward]

78. Apaprently you have a reading comp problem

1) I stated there was a public forum on the airport. For various reasons I was chosen to represent the side opposed to it. Why is that so hard to understand? It had nothing to do with any election. Do you seriously think elections are the only time public officials discuss things or engage in debates? Weird to say the least. Again if you don't believe that who cares? No one. If you are obsessed with it write Jackson. I'm sure he will confirm it if he ever goes back to work.

2) It was held in a church because on the south side of Chicago churches are where both political and non political events are held. The church sponsors them and often they have the biggest seating areas. You may not like that but that is the way things happen in Chicago. Churches are used by the Democratic party in Chicago to promote their candidates. Everyone from Chicago knows that and accepts it. Go live there and berate them if you don't like it.

3) Your allusions to men's rooms is disturbing on many levels but again I will leave it to others to determine why you have an obsession with those.

4) There is nothing more dangerous than a first year law student. They think they know the law and are willing to tell everyone what it is. You are like that. Again I implore you -- quit these posts and FOLLOW YOUR OWN ADVICE. Take off, tell no one, and tell us what happens. I wish you good luck!

[MADem]

79. No you didn't. You said you debated the guy in a church.

You said you debated him about the airport, but you said nothing about a "public forum" which led to my questions. Had you said before what you are saying now, you would have saved us a load of drama on your part. But perhaps that would have been less "fun?"

My allusions to men's rooms have nothing to do with "disturbing" conduct (so search your OWN mind for the reasons that's where yours went), it had more to do with buttonholing people where and when they cannot easily escape from the noxious inquisitions of self-important fans or scolds.

To me, there's nothing more dangerous than a know-it-all lawyer who doesn't know the basic provisions of HIPAA. I wouldn't hire you to mow my lawn, based on the "knowledge" you've expressed here. You need to self-educate, badly, and soon. Why don't you take the advice you're so readily handing out to others, and stop being so insufferably intolerant and uninformed when it comes to mental health matters?

[former9thward]

80. You are very weird.

But I bet you know that. There were two of us on the stage with a cable tv crew filming. It was held in and sponsored by a church. The public were there to listen and ask questions. Why is this so hard to understand? Again, write Jackson and ask him about the debate in a church about the Peotone airport about 10 years agoon 99th street, if you are so concerned about it.

I know the basic provisions of HIPAA. Some posters, including you, seem to think employers have no rights to ask anything of anybody because of this law. Well good luck finding a court that will back you up on that. BTW thanks for at least thinking about me for your lawn but my work schedule is pretty filled up. Maybe some other time.

[MADem]

81. I'm "weird" because I find your bias against people with mental health issues unprogressive?

Your comments here on that topic are disgraceful. Your knowledge of HIPAA is nonexistent, even when given dot gov links, and no matter how much you pretend otherwise--because if you did understand it, you wouldn't keep doubling down on what the employee has to do.

If I were the type to characterize random strangers on the internet as "weird," I suppose you'd fit that bill--so maybe you should be less proud of your characterization of me-- it takes one to try to know one.

All I can say is I am glad I am not as intolerant as you're coming across.

Have you figured out that I don't give a shit about your little "debate" that you say happened a full decade ago? My focus is on your ignorance re: HIPAA, and your shameless, snarking bias with regard to mental health issues. Keep sticking your foot in it, if you'd like. Your conduct and attitude on this thread speak for themselves, and you should be embarrassed at how loud they're talking about you.

You might want to go back and read what I wrote. I never said employers were proscribed from asking for information, I simply spoke to the fact that employees have no duty to PROVIDE--something you kept insisting was the case. I said this more than once, too and even provided you a dot gov source that spelled it out so plainly that even a self-important lawyer could figure it out--but you're the one who is stuck in TRANSMIT mode, here--and that's your problem.

A big problem, too.

[former9thward]

82. I hope no sane person is taking your 'advice'.

The employer can directly ask whether a worker is disabled for the purposes of determining if the worker needs any special accommodations. It can ask for health information -- including a note from a doctor -- if an employee takes sick leave, requests time off for medical reasons or asks for accommodation for a disability. The employee is required to give this information. If they don't the employer can withhold pay and benefits among other things.

Odd that you "don't give a shit about your little debate" but you mentioned it in every post and asked multiple questions about it. I wonder what you do about things you do give a shit about. Have a nice weekend!

[MADem]

83. The employee is not required to give that information--that's where you are wrong.

The insurance company will tell the employer what they need to know. Additional information is only required if accommodation is expected or required (for example, adaptive equipment in the office or facilities of the workcenter).

If you actually believed that crap you're trying to slop, then every "employee" who found themselves in a coma or unresponsive in ICU would be fired or have their pay and benefits withheld. And we know that doesn't happen--so just give it up.

You're the one that brought up your little debate without explaining yourself, and now you're trying to "Mitt" me by pretending that my asking for clarification of your oblique comment constitutes interest?

I don't think you're cutting it here.

I always have a great weekend, and a great week, too--it helps my worldview to not think ill of people as a first option. You might try it on occasion, it works.

[former9thward]

84. Remember to be a good neighbor and get your lawn cut!

And keep the kids from walking across it!

[MADem]

85. Out of gas, I see. nt

[former9thward]

86. Yes, debating with you is so exhausting!

[MADem]

87. You said you were a lawyer?

This is how lawyers behave?

Who knew?

[former9thward]

88. You have stated you don't believe anything I say.

So why do you continue to ask me questions? Just to get cheap post counts?

[MADem]

89. If you don't want to speak with me, don't. No one is holding you at knifepoint.

After all, you're a lawyer, aren't you? Surely you know all about the nuances of argument?

You might try utilizing them here on occasion, instead of saying offensive things about mental health matters that suggest that you are, at a minimum, obtuse. You've acquitted yourself poorly in this thread, with meanspirited and uninformed comments that are unprogressive in the extreme.

I somehow think you know that, though, and it pleases you.

[former9thward]

90. "You've acquitted yourself poorly in this thread"

Sorry you don't get to be the judge of that except for yourself. I posted practically nothing about mental health because I don't believe Jackson has any mental health problems. I don't believe the guy who was willing to raise 1.5 million for Blago in exchange for a Senate seat (U.S. Attorney trial evidence) has any mental health issues.

You have given out terrible legal advice which could get someone fired if they followed it. I just wish you would follow your own advice.

[MADem]

91. Yeah, I do get to be the judge. That's my firm opinion, and your words support it.

And I haven't given legal advice. I've sourced the law, and provided a link to it. You might try reading it, but I suspect that's asking too much.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. At most decent companies...

you could do this. If I had to do this, the HR person would be the only person that would know full reason. My co-workers and customers would not know. His co-workers are his fellow reps, his customers are his constituents.

[former9thward]

10. No "at most decent companies" can you leave without telling anyone anything.

And you can't get away with "mood disorder" anyplace either. He still has not said what the real reasons is. I suspect it is FBIitest. His chief fundraiser was just arrested.

[AJTheMan]

11. No, HIPAA protects patients from having to tell their employers what they are seeking treatment for.

Those details are confidential between doctor and patient. Any employer who inquired as to the nature of their illness could get sued off their ass.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. Thank you. nt

[MADem]

20. Thank you for educating this ... person. Who really does need an education on this topic. nt

[former9thward]

37. You are the one who needs education.

I challenge you to walk off your job today, telling no one anything, and continue to stay off demanding full pay and benefits. You would be fired. If not why don't you go and do it.

[LanternWaste]

40. So we know that, without a doubt, a he told no one person...

So we know that, without a doubt, a he told no one person, and that he said absolutely nothing to anyone at all regarding this condition?

[former9thward]

41. Durbin and Hoyer have said Jackson needs to come clean with people.

Fellow Illinois Democrats Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Luis Gutierrez have called it Jackson's responsibility as a public official to disclose details. "People get sick, and when people get sick, they miss work. Everybody in America understands that," Hoyer said. "But I think the family would be well advised to give his constituents as much information as is appropriate."

I agree with them.

[MADem]

56. Aren't you behind the curve! Pelosi said "Take all the time you need" and Hoyer said

Jackson has been "upfront" with his constituents. I've provided links elsewhere in this thread.

You need to keep up with the Democratic ticker on these events, and stop repeating the rightwing one like a broken record.

The latest from Steny, from The Hill, http://thehill.com/homenews/house/237019-hoyer-defends-jesse-jackson-jrs-mysterious-leave :


"We all have a responsibility to report to our constituents," Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the Democratic whip, told reporters in the Capitol. "They [Jackson's aides] have certainly reported that he is ill and seeking help. And I think that that fulfills that responsibility."


Poutrage fail.

[MADem]

47. I don't have a mood disorder requiring hospitalization. I also don't have a job.

I do have great insurance, though, thanks to my military career.

You are painfully and perhaps deliberately obtuse. That's about the most polite way I can explain to you what your "problem" is, here.

[former9thward]

50. And you are deliberatly ignoring the facts of this situation.

Fortunately congressional Democrats and his constituents in Chicago are not ignoring this.

[MADem]

54. No I am not--you're the one displaying a profound amount of ignorance as to the provisions of

HIPAA for someone who purports to be a lawyer.

Here's a link--go back to law school and read up: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

Chapter and verse: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/employers.html


The Privacy Rule does not prevent your supervisor, human resources worker or others from asking you for a doctor’s note or other information about your health if your employer needs the information to administer sick leave, workers’ compensation, wellness programs, or health insurance.

However, if your employer asks your health care provider directly for information about you, your provider cannot disclose the information in response without your authorization.

Covered health care providers must have your authorization to disclose this information to your employer, unless other laws require them to disclose it.

Generally, the Privacy Rule applies to disclosures made by your health care provider, not to the questions of your employer.

For further information on this topic, please refer to 45 C.F.R. §§ 160.103 and 164.512(b)(1)(v), and OCR’s Frequently Asked Questions.

You may also contact the Department of Labor at (866) 4-USA-DOL, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at [phone], for information about non-Privacy Rule issues.


What is wrong with Mister Jackson?
He has a mood disorder requiring hospitalization.


Congressional Dems certainly are not ignoring this--they are wishing him well and hoping he gets better soon:

Pelosi: Jackson should take all the time he needs

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/12/politics/jackson-congress/index.html


Hoyer defends Jesse Jackson Jr.'s leave

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/237019-hoyer-defends-jesse-jackson-jrs-mysterious-leave

So, nice try (not). No cigar.

You really are letting your colors fly, here.

[former9thward]

68. Nice how you ignored the first paragraph of your own post.

Which I posted elsewhere in this thread. I guess Durbin and other Chicago Democrats are "letting their colors fly" also. I am from Chicago,participated in Chicago politics, lived in Jackson's district, and I still follow the political scene there. Democrats in Chicago are very unhappy with the way Jackson has handled this as well as his constituents. Sorry that makes you unhappy.

[MADem]

71. As I said elsewhere, you have reading comprehension issues.

The employer can ask--that doesn't mean the employer will get "chapter and verse." The answer the employer got, after asking, was "mood disorder." You're the one who insisted that the employee had an obligation to report. I doubt the employee did that--I am betting that information went from the medical treatment facility to the insurer to the Human Resources component to Rep. Jackson's office and Leader Pelosi.

Durbin is the head of the Chicago delegation--he's a Senator, not a member of the House. He isn't wired into everything his delegation does, plainly, and was the last to know on this issue. He might want to pick up the phone and call Nancy Pelosi, she seems to have been able to get sufficient information to assuage her concerns.

Anyone can "follow the political scene" via the internet. Your "insight" (and yes, I use the term advisedly) is no more controlling in this situation than the opinions of my next door neighbor.

Nothing makes me unhappy (and what a curious thing for you to say), though I will say I am disappointed to find such an intolerant and apparently genuinely unschooled individual with regard to mental health issues on a progressive discussion board. Such attitudes are as backwards as those of Henry VIII, who, owing to a lack of knowledge as to the details of sex selection, blamed his wives for failing to bear him sons.

You can dislike Rep. Jackson all you'd like. Trying to suggest that he is malingering, when he's in an inpatient situation for what is plainly a difficult medical issue, though, reflects poorly on you. Your comments are petty and meanspirited and unkind. If you don't see how you're coming across, that's your issue.

[yardwork]

31. "Mood disorder" is a legitimate diagnosis. It usually means depression or something like that.

It's a clinical term, not just a made-up term.

[Posteritatis]

58. Oh yay, a "no such thing as mental illness" person. (nt)

[MADem]

18. He's probably bipolar and they're having trouble stabilizing him and getting him on a

regimen of drugs that work and don't make him feel like shit. He didn't just "walk off the job"--he was hospitalized.

You know, when people are sick, they're sick. You want video of his psychiatric sessions, too? How about the results of his blood tests and stool samples?

You're incredibly compassion-free. It's not an admirable quality.

How about we tell you to run a five K race with a broken leg? And then call you lazy when you can't do it?

[steve2470]

29. I think you're on the right track

IF... he is bipolar and alcohol dependent, it can take a while to properly stabilize him.
He's lucky to have a great insurance policy to cover his treatment.

[HereSince1628]

30. A couple of things...

My experience is that Americans, including DUers, have more awareness of the stigma of mental illness than they do understanding of mental illness. Americans, and DUers, regularly make chauvinistic comments using terms of mental illness as disparagements against others (if you wish search the archives on DU Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann).

1) In such a stigmatizing social culture compassion for the mentally ill is often less rather than more.

2) You could be right about bipolar, I don't mean to challenge or disrespect your opinion. If it is bipolar, everyone might be reminded that persons with bipolar can be very high performing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_bipolar_disorder


That said, I don't put much faith in armchair/long distance dx's for any illness. I believe that even for consultations about psychiatric patients that occur between professionals. When consulting professionals haven't conducted an in-person patient assessment they can only go on case notes that are a second hand narrative that is probably inaccurate to some degree and that is possibly weakened by confirmational biases of the narrator. Diagnosis is an association skill that is critically limited by available information. It's treated somewhat like a quiz game, but it shouldn't be.

Similarly, interpreting what an in-patient stay might mean is difficult.

Sometimes even when we have a statement regarding the hospitalization, like the one Jesse Jackson Sr made, we don't get much insight from it. In-patient psychiatric treatment might be preferable for a variety of reasons. I can imagine that one of those reasons could be to provide an environment for therapy free from emotional challenges of a relentlessly probing media.

[MADem]

46. The spectrum of "mood disorders" is fairly limiting.

He might be seriously depressed. If there were bets involved, I'd bet on bipolar, even though his people are saying alcohol addiction made worse by severe depression.

Look, if he's sick enough to be hospitalized for--as his spokesman says--a "mood disorder" you don't have to be Marcus Welby to figure it's down to a very few possibilities. He is not having a fit of pique. He's either in a hypermanic situation, which could have many root causes from brain chemistry to a reaction to an outside agent, a deeply depressive and intractable situation, again caused by who-knows-what (treatments for chronic diseases can sometimes have serious depression as a side effect) or perhaps worsened by that alcohol problem, or he's bipolar, which, for new diagnoses, is often a tricky thing to manage in terms of medication until the doctors find the proper cocktail that does the trick.

I have an in-law who is one of those bipolar high functioners you talk about. I am not a stigmatizer, so I'm kind of not taking that point you're making one bit, in fact, my objection here is to those who are stigmatizing the guy. This isn't an Eagleberger moment for the representative, not by a long shot, assuming he can get past that Blago stuff that is also dogging him.

My objection, here, is the snarky "Oh he's faking" insinuations that are popping up hither and yon. Those are far more "inappropriate" than a bit of idle speculation, based on comparing his period of hospitalization with SOP treatment protocols for specific illnesses, as to what specific "mood disorder" issue the guy is confronting.

[HereSince1628]

57. It's my belief we are basically on the same side in this.

I didn't mean to call you a stigmatizer, I don't think I actually did. I recognized your motivation in response to the previous post.

My point about stigmatizing culture in American and DU was a two part observation first to remind everyone of the patently obvious...Many Americans and a not small count of DUers use stigmatizing language that promotes a stigmatizing culture...a culture that fosters the belief that mental illness is typically fake or volitional. The second part acknowledges your observation about lack of compassion--my point is that there is no compassion largely because we have our general American cultural views of mental illness and a DU culture that frequently promotes quick quips based on limited understanding.

My other statements are simply my opinion, not a judgement of your post...which as I said could be correct.

I just don't think long distance diagnosis with limited information is dependably reliable. Psychological diagnoses already have a bad reputation for being 'unstable' (which is shorthand for often requiring re-designation/change in diagnosis).

If "Mood Disorder" actually means the classification group called mood disorders as used in DSM then, depression, bipolar and a number of substance induced mood disorders and mood disorder NOS, are possibilities.

If mood disorder simply means low affect it could be a number of other things. I can think of a number of Axis I possibilities as well as some Axis II possibilities that produce painful negative affect of long duration and that interfere with life enough to result in inpatient treatment: Adjustment disorders, Anxiety disorders, several variants within Bipolar Spectrum, unreconciled grief (which isn't just bereavement after a death), various types of clinical depression including Major Depressive Disorder, and the relatively newly proposed post-traumatic embitterment ... that's already a handful of possibilities.

Negative affective reactivity to shifts in relation to meaningful 'environmental' objects, and self-belief, also show up in several personality disorders, including for example borderline and 'closet' narcissism (as opposed to grandiose narcissim).

It's true that depression is very very common and if this was about placing bets rather than diagnosis, then going for the high probabilities is the way to play.

[MADem]

60. Well, this is DU.

You're not going to stop conjecture - way too many of us (and count me among them) like to speculate, guess, pretend-bet, or suppose. Armchair quarterbacking is just one of many delights here.

I have no problem with anyone speculating, I just get a bit exorcised with the "faking it" crowd, or the people making fun of the guy, or the stigmatizing. It's a medical condition--you go, you get medicine, you manage that condition. It's a more manageable condition than many with primarily physical components, in many cases.

Then, there's the rumor-mongering. Can't stop that, either. There's a rumor going around that the poor guy tried to off himself--if that's not a situation that requires hospitalization, that isn't "faking it," that isn't "trying to avoid the FBI," I dunno what is.

He's got good insurance; hopefully he's got a good primary care physician who will put him in the care of good specialists, too.

[former9thward]

38. He has FBI itis.

His chief fundraiser was just arrested. Do you think he will go down alone? This same fundraiser attempted a 1.5 million buy of the Blago senate seat for Jackson. That came out at the trial That is where his "mood disorder" is coming from.

[MADem]

42. Keep digging that hole. This isn't about "FBI-itis" unless you think he's

so clever that he can fool a team of doctors with medical degrees. If you think a short month obtaining medical treatment is somehow going to make those other issues disappear you have serious judgment issues.

[CreekDog]

32. Your complaint is with the constitution

Just to be clear.

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. At least he didn't use the Appalachian Trail excuse

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. You know, If I had a break-down I wouldn't want to advertise it either. There is still

a lot of stigma attached to mental illness.

[AJTheMan]

8. I hate how they put the term mood disorder in scare quotes.

This kind of hits home with me, as I have been diagnosed with different mental illnesses. I am so proud of him for seeking the help that he needed. So often, people with mental illnesses, especially men, do not seek help for one reason or another. Some may be too proud to admit that they are depressed. Or they may not readily recognize the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

So, Representative Jackson, if you are reading this, I just want to tell you that I am so proud of you for seeking help. You are doing the right thing and I'm sure you will come out of this stronger than before.

To the posters here, I want to assure you that just because someone has a mood disorder does not mean that he or she cannot function in daily life. With the right treatment, a person with anything from depression to mania to biploar can still be productive citizens. They can still be CEO's and make good decisions. They can still be congressmen. I think Rep. Jackson is very brave for recognizing that he needed professional help and is now seeking medical treatment. I wish him the best and many more terms as an Illinois Representative.

[MADem]

21. They don't yet have (or have released) a definitive diagnosis--pick from this list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_disorder

He's probably authorized a staffer to use the umbrella term "mood disorder," but they may still be getting down to what ails him--sometimes BPD can look like major depression at first blush.

This is a serious matter, I'm willing to bet the guy isn't "faking," or "getting out of work," and the people who are suggesting this on this thread are pretty uninformed about the gravity of this diagnosis. Of course, I realize you already 'get' this. I am amazed that even after all the work Jimmy Carter's wife and many others have done on this subject, that people are still so ignorant when it comes to it.

I feel bad for the guy. I hope he's getting good care.

[steve2470]

27. +100000 nt

[kurtzapril4]

13. Mood disorder my arse.

But we'll never know the truth. I'm sorry, I don't like this guy. He's crooked. If I walked off my job and didn't tell my boss anything, I'd be fired for sure.

[freshwest]

14. Since you know he's a crook, give us details.

[AngryAmish]

25. Blago is sitting in prison for fourteen years for selling a Senate seat

JJJ was buying it.

It is best to assume that any Illinois politician is a crook since almost all of them are crooks.

[freshwest]

35. The 'everyone from Illinois is a crook' including all Democrats and Obama is a RW meme.

I just was asking for a link to what JJJ did wrong.

If all we have to go on is region, we can assume all people from the south are KKK and everyone from NY is part of the mob. Or everyone from CA is a flower child, and so on and so on. It's really pointless to ask for details, since we're in 'common knowledge' territory.

I won't be back, thanks for your opinion on this question.

[former9thward]

39. Here is a link

It came out at the Blago trial but you may not have been following it. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/12/02/house-ethics-panel-jackson-improperly-campaiged-for-senate-seat/

[MADem]

19. I am sorry too--that's one of the most un-progressive comments I have ever read on this board.

Pat yourself on the back.

[MADem]

49. If you were hospitalized for a mood disorder, you would not be fired.

The hospital would notify your work, through your insurance, that you were hospitalized. That's all your work would "get" unless you authorized release of additional information.

You think if you got hit by a crosstown bus and ended up in the ICU in a coma that you'd be fired, too? You wouldn't be able to tell anyone what happened in that case, now, would you?

Please. You might want to check that "arse" of yours, because you're showing it in a most unattractive and bigoted fashion.

[kickysnana]

16. It must be hard to watch your life times work being destroyed in Front of your eyes

According to studies. All the economic gains since 1970, made in total by AAs have been lost since 2008. Health care is hard to come by. Pensions under attack for those who have made the least in their lifetime due to situations beyond their control. Access to education, jobs, heath care.

To top it all off, the Great Hope, Obama decided to pursue a ruinous foreign policy rather than fight about what the American people had lost over the last 20 years. I imagine he cannot even express his disappointment because the alternative is total Christian Fascism. Obama should have purged the government of the corruption, he should have transferred the military budget back to domestic and slashed to outrageous black box budget that allows police departments drones, constant intimate surveillance of your body and all interactions for no real purpose and he should have started with National health insurance and gotten something other than forcing people to pay to profit making Insurance companies which sets a very dangerous precedent. What's next water and air?

He is probably grieving and feeling powerless to change the USA Express heading over the cliff we know is there with the poorest, who have had no power for over 20 years, at the front of the train.

Dr Jackson, rest, pray and start again on the good fight. The fight the real Jesus fought not the made up one that is worshiped in so many shiny churches today.

[primavera]

22. I was going to say...

... he's probably suffering from depression, like all the rest of us in this dark age.

[ChazII]

17. Supposedly he is

here in Arizona to get the help he needs.

[mopinko]

24. according to ed schultz- major depression and a drinking problem.

and this length of treatment means one or the other is pretty serious.

get well jr. you will have a fight to get your respect back, because you are not a republican. they get to just blow this kind of thing off. you will have it follow you around like blago does now.
be well. good luck.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

33. It's not uncommon for folks (men especially) -

to self-medicate with booze/drugs when trying to deal with a mental illness. Glad to hear he's getting treatment and wish him nothing but the best.

[loyalsister]

64. There is also a diagnosis of alcohol induced depression

Whether it had been brewing because of drinking or he was self medicating a dual diagnosis is very difficult and painful process for the person affected and their family.

I hope they are able to give him a lot of support and that they can do what they need to do without constant media attention.

[choie]

45. it usually takes between

4-6 weeks for anti-depressants to "kick in" (if he is suffering from depression, etc.) So, really has hasn't been in treatment for that long. One thing that I will disagree with one of the previous posters on - his constituents aren't his "customers" - they are his employers. That said, Jackson deserves some modicum of privacy.

[mopinko]

52. most people don't get to stay in the hospital until their meds are worked out.

just sayin.

[choie]

63. well

of course that's true.

[steve2470]

26. Best wishes to you Rep. Jackson !!!!

And, please, follow your doctor's orders

[AJTheMan]

65. +1

[Beacool]

34. Wasn't there an issue with him over Blago and Obama's senate seat back in 2008?

Also, I remember him as a race baiter when he was shilling for Obama last presidential campaign.

No love for the guy, but I hope that he recovers.

[may3rd]

48. Yes

Blago wanted to sell the seat to the highest bidder.

"The Chicago way"

[Sienna86]

55. Preparing for his defense.

Setting the stage.

[tawadi]

59. For what, exactly?

And you know this, how?

[marshall]

66. Christian Science Monitor

They have an interesting article posted on Thursday. Apparantly Jackson is "facing an ethics investigation" over some involvement with the former governor of Illinois, and somebody else associated with the investigation was arrested last week.