I’m withholding judgement unless and until further details come out. Having mental illness doesn’t give you a get out of jail free card for behaving however you please.

Depression can have some very difficult symptoms that are particularly hard on the support system of those who suffer from it. It’s a disease that requires a lot of effort to manage, and many people simply refuse treatment. I’m not necessarily blaming them, as episodes can sneak up on you and start severely impacting your life before you realize how bad it’s gotten. It’s still on us to take steps to right the ship once we’re aware of our situation, however.

The other option is to choose to do nothing, stay miserable , and suffer. It’s, unfortunately, a choice I’ve seen many people make. When that happens, we can’t expect those in our lives to support that decision and get dragged down with us. Perhaps Fetterman’s wife had to make a hard choice for her own health and safety. Perhaps not, but I’ve seen it happen enough that I think it’s quite possible.