U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.). (Screen capture via GMA3 Twitter video)
New York Congressman Ritchie Torres spoke out about his struggle with depression and the importance of mental health in the wake of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)’s recent hospitalization for clinical depression.
Torres, a Democrat who is the first openly gay Afro-Latino member of Congress, told “GMA3” hosts DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim March 14 that he had “an obligation to tell” his “story in the hopes of breaking the shame and silence, and stigma that too often surrounds the subject of mental health.”
Torres views his coming to terms with his mental health issues — while also being open about it — as a form of “public service” to the American people.
“We live in a society that historically has shamed people for experiencing mental illness, that has framed mental illness as a failure of character or a failure of willpower. And I’m here to send a message that mental illness is nothing of which to be ashamed, that there are millions of Americans who struggle with depression and anxiety,” Torres explained.
Even before being elected to Congress, Torres, 34, spoke freely about his past experiences concerning mental health issues and how they affected him. While campaigning, one of his opponents tried to use his depression as a counterpoint to prove that he was not worthy of being in public office.
From then on, Torres vowed to “never again would I allow my mental health to be weaponized,” he told Time magazine.
He emphasized the importance of psychotherapy and medication as a means of controlling his depressive episodes and going through his day by day as a congressman.
He noted, however, that “there are people who have trouble accessing mental health care.”
“And even if you do, the process of experimenting with psychiatric medications can be draining and debilitating, because there’s no one size fits all,” he added.
Torres said he hopes that Congress can pave the way for more mental health care for the millions of Americans who need it.
“Our healthcare system is fundamentally broken and Congress is no closer to fixing it,” he argued.
I was once hospitalized because of severe depression. I thought of taking my own life because I felt the world around me had collapsed.
I would not be alive, let alone in Congress, were it not for mental health care.
My Story:pic.twitter.com/5v9pXCN33E
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) March 15, 2023
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