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- (Adds quotes, details, background) By David Bailey MINNEAPOLIS, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. has been admitted to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to be evaluated for depression and gastrointestinal...
Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:11am IST
(Adds quotes, details, background)
By David Bailey
MINNEAPOLIS, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. has been admitted to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to be evaluated for depression and gastrointestinal ailments, the congressman's office said on Friday in a statement released by the clinic.
The statement came more than two weeks after the Illinois Democrat, son of civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, was said by his doctor to be undergoing treatment for a "mood disorder."
The younger Jackson, 47, announced in late June that he had taken a leave from office two weeks earlier for treatment of what was then described as exhaustion.
Amid mounting political pressure to disclose more information about his medical condition, Jackson said on July 5 through a statement that his problems were more serious than previously believed, adding he needed extended in-patient treatment for unspecified "physical and emotional ailments."
On July 11, his physician said the congressman was receiving intensive care for a "mood disorder" and was expected to make a full recovery.
The statement on Friday marked the first time that Jackson, who is seeking re-election to a 10th term in the House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 election, acknowledged he was being evaluated for depression.
"Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has arrived at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues," the statement said without elaborating.
It said further information would be released as Jackson's evaluation proceeded.
"Congressman Jackson and his family are grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers that have been received throughout his care," the statement said.
Two fellow Illinois Democrats, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez, said in early July the congressman owed voters from his South Side Chicago district an explanation.
They compared Jackson's situation with those of stricken Illinois Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and Illinois Democratic U.S. Representative Bobby Rush.
After Kirk suffered a stroke in January, his doctors held news conferences about his condition, and the senator later provided a video depicting his rehabilitation and showing him speaking and struggling to walk on a treadmill.
Rush had surgery for throat cancer, and Gutierrez said at the time, "We knew where to find him."
Jackson's Republican opponent in November, Brian Woodworth, also said earlier in July that Jackson had an obligation to clarify his situation. Woodworth could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday night.
(Reporting and writing by David Bailey; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney)
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