Mayor Rahm Emanuel today urged patience in the case of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., arguing Congress will still be there when the South Side lawmaker is ready to return to work.Jackson’s camp announced Wednesday that the veteran congressman is in an undisclosed inpatient facility being treated for an unspecified mood disorder. Emanuel was asked about Jackson today.
"I know a lot of people are saying when is he going to get back to work, he should get back to work -- why would he go back to work to a Congress that does no work," said Emanuel, a former congressman. "Why rush? Take care of your health. Guess what? Congress is going to be there."
Emanuel said that when someone is dealing with emotional and mental health issues, it doesn't just affect the individual, but the family, so he’s approaching it from that perspective.
"Just because you're in public life doesn't mean your zone of privacy ends,” Emanuel said.
The Jackson disclosure on Wednesday capped a day in which questions, speculation and denunciations over the Jackson mystery stretched from the U.S. Capitol to a downtown Chicago hotel where Jackson's father held the annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition convention.
Jackson has been absent from his House job since June 10 and has missed 90 roll-call votes, including the Republicans' much-trumpeted move Wednesday to repeal Obama's health care law in the wake of last month's Supreme Court decision.
Before the largely symbolic health care vote, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, addressed Jackson's absence with reporters.
"I think Congressman Jackson and his office and his family would be well advised to advise the constituents of his condition. He's obviously facing a health problem. We have many members who are out right now.
"This is not an unusual circumstance. People get sick, and when people get sick, they miss work. Everybody in America understands that. But I think the family would be well advised to give his constituents as much information as is appropriate," said Hoyer, whose comments were an about-face from a day earlier.
Hoyer's remarks urging more disclosure followed similar calls from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the No. 2 official in the Senate, and other state Democrats, including Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago and Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston.
Other Democrats were more sympathetic to Jackson's refusal to shed more light on his health problems, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
"I hope that we will hear soon that he is on the way to recovery," said Pelosi, who said she had not talked to Jackson. "He's a valued member of Congress. But the timing (of disclosure) ... is related not to my curiosity or anybody else's, but to his health care needs."
The Rev. Byron Brazier said that although Jackson is a public official, he deserves the right to maintain medical confidentiality.
Brazier said he is satisfied with the amount of information Jackson has disclosed so far.
“Certain things have to come out in their time, but at the end of it, we’ll be able to tell whether it was worth it or not,” Brazier said at an unrelated news conference Thursday.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said he just wants to see Jackson get better.
“My first concern was the well-being of not the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District, but the congressman,” Raoul said. “I think he’s obligated at some point to talk about if and when he will return to service, how whatever his condition is may impact his capacity to serve. Beyond that, getting into the nitty gritty of the condition and his treatment, I believe it's private.”
Jackson’s representatives did not disclose what specific psychiatric problem the congressman has. A mood disorder can mean many things. According to Mental Health America, formerly known as the National Mental Health Association, there are four basic forms of mood disorders, including "major depression, cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and mania (euphoric, hyperactive, overinflated ego, unrealistic optimism)."
The treatment advocacy organization estimated 1 in 5 Americans report at least "one depressive symptom in a given month," while bipolar disorder is less common, occurring at a rate of 1 percent of the general population.
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"I know a lot of people are saying when is he going to get back to work, he should get back to work -- why would he go back to work to a Congress that does no work," said Emanuel, a former congressman. "Why rush? Take care of your health. Guess what? Congress is going to be there."
Emanuel said that when someone is dealing with emotional and mental health issues, it doesn't just affect the individual, but the family, so he’s approaching it from that perspective.
"Just because you're in public life doesn't mean your zone of privacy ends,” Emanuel said.
The Jackson disclosure on Wednesday capped a day in which questions, speculation and denunciations over the Jackson mystery stretched from the U.S. Capitol to a downtown Chicago hotel where Jackson's father held the annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition convention.
Jackson has been absent from his House job since June 10 and has missed 90 roll-call votes, including the Republicans' much-trumpeted move Wednesday to repeal Obama's health care law in the wake of last month's Supreme Court decision.
Before the largely symbolic health care vote, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, addressed Jackson's absence with reporters.
"I think Congressman Jackson and his office and his family would be well advised to advise the constituents of his condition. He's obviously facing a health problem. We have many members who are out right now.
"This is not an unusual circumstance. People get sick, and when people get sick, they miss work. Everybody in America understands that. But I think the family would be well advised to give his constituents as much information as is appropriate," said Hoyer, whose comments were an about-face from a day earlier.
Hoyer's remarks urging more disclosure followed similar calls from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the No. 2 official in the Senate, and other state Democrats, including Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago and Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston.
Other Democrats were more sympathetic to Jackson's refusal to shed more light on his health problems, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
"I hope that we will hear soon that he is on the way to recovery," said Pelosi, who said she had not talked to Jackson. "He's a valued member of Congress. But the timing (of disclosure) ... is related not to my curiosity or anybody else's, but to his health care needs."
The Rev. Byron Brazier said that although Jackson is a public official, he deserves the right to maintain medical confidentiality.
Brazier said he is satisfied with the amount of information Jackson has disclosed so far.
“Certain things have to come out in their time, but at the end of it, we’ll be able to tell whether it was worth it or not,” Brazier said at an unrelated news conference Thursday.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said he just wants to see Jackson get better.
“My first concern was the well-being of not the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District, but the congressman,” Raoul said. “I think he’s obligated at some point to talk about if and when he will return to service, how whatever his condition is may impact his capacity to serve. Beyond that, getting into the nitty gritty of the condition and his treatment, I believe it's private.”
Jackson’s representatives did not disclose what specific psychiatric problem the congressman has. A mood disorder can mean many things. According to Mental Health America, formerly known as the National Mental Health Association, there are four basic forms of mood disorders, including "major depression, cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and mania (euphoric, hyperactive, overinflated ego, unrealistic optimism)."
The treatment advocacy organization estimated 1 in 5 Americans report at least "one depressive symptom in a given month," while bipolar disorder is less common, occurring at a rate of 1 percent of the general population.
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