NJ Rep. Kean’s absence reveals ongoing stigma of long-term depression care
After months of speculation about his absence, U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., returned to the House floor Monday and revealed he was seeking treatment for depression. A doctor tells Straight Arrow that the negative responses that Kean and many other Americans receive when revealing a mental health struggle are the result of ignorance about the illnesses.
Kean returned to the House after a four-month absence that left people questioning his whereabouts despite statements from his staff. He told his colleagues that doctors diagnosed him with depression and urged him to seek long-term care at a hospital.
“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness,” Kean said. “They explained to me that it would be the fastest way to recovery.”
Online, users admonished Kean for the absence.
“How was your 4 month paid leave for feeling sad,” one wrote on X.
While others like Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., noted the irony in Kean’s treatment because he voted against New Jersey’s paid sick leave during his time in the state legislature.
Dr. Nathaniel Wade, an associate psychology professor at Iowa State University, told Straight Arrow that people are misinformed about mental health disorders and the treatment methods needed to address symptoms.
“It’s categorically different than sadness or grief or feeling low,” he said.
Stigmas hold back care
A survey conducted by The Harris Poll with the American Psychological Association found that 42% of U.S. adults said they’re often uncomfortable asking others for help. The same survey revealed that 45% of respondents said they sought mental health care.
For some like Kean, treatment can mean long-term care at a hospital. Wade said a person would need to be dealing with a very serious mental health concern to need help for that length of time.
He added that doctors have forcibly admitted people of all ages based on conversations in therapy or with another medical professional. Involuntary commitment laws vary widely by state.
But in the case of Kean, who voluntarily committed himself, Wade said that treatment can be outpatient visits to a therapist during scheduled times or inpatient, requiring a person to stay at a hospital or residential center.
He added that illiteracy around mental health fuels stigmas about seeking help.
“That can be as simple as, ‘I just don’t know how to recognize a mental disorder because I’m not literate in the area,’” Wade said, which leaves some not knowing what to look for.
Knowledge, Wade said, is the best remedy.
“Go online, do some searching,” Wade said.
Talk about mental health
Kean’s speech wasn’t significant only because of his lengthy absence. Wade said that being public about one’s mental health struggles could help someone recognize symptoms in themselves and seek treatment.
He pointed to research with colleague Dr. David Vogel about attitudes and self-stigma toward seeking help. They reviewed data from 2005 to 2025 with Iowa State University and found a significant decrease in public-and-self stigma people feel when seeking help.
Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall wrote in The Players’ Tribune that education is needed for people to understand the severity of mental illnesses. He revealed in that same article that he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder back in 2011.
“We need to accept that mental illness is a disease, and that like any other disease, the research is key to fighting it,” Marshall wrote in The Players’ Tribune in 2017. “We need more robust education in schools. But most of all, we need to break the stigma.”
Wade said that public figures can “move the needle,” but it doesn’t erase the issues a person is going through.
He encouraged people to seek help if they’re experiencing feelings of depression, hopelessness or have thoughts of harming others or themselves.
“If sharing my story encourages even one person to seek help,” Kean said, “if it gives one family the courage to have a difficult conversation, or if it reminds one person that recovery is possible, then this moment will have been worthwhile.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
