Harris Co Judge (which is an executive role, not a judiciary one) is taking some time off for mental health. Her leave of absence leaves...
Posted by
Qale
Aug 8 '23, 17:03
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...Rodney Ellis, the longest serving member of the commissioner's court, in charge until September when Judge Lina Hidalgo expects to be able to return.
“I am writing to share with you that I am one of the over 21 million American adults that is suffering from clinical depression,” Hidalgo wrote to Harris County residents. “For some time, I have been coping with this challenge, and it was undiagnosed until last month.”
Ellis was quick to dispel the stigma surrounding mental health care and applauded Hidalgo for getting treatment.
“Depression is not personal weakness,” Ellis said. “It’s a medical diagnosis and it requires treatment the same way that a stroke, cancer or heart disease requires treatment.”
Hidalgo, an emerging and high-profile Democrat, has become a favorite target of conservative activists. Ellis urged critics on both sides to suspend their attacks while she is receiving care.
“There’s a time when all of us ought to be big enough to rise above petty politics,” Ellis said. “This is one of those times.”
“From the beginning of my tenure as County Judge, I have stressed the importance of mental health services,” Hidalgo said. “Depression and other mental health illnesses are part of the human condition, and mental health illnesses should be treated just like any other health condition. I feel so strongly that we should be open and forthright about mental health issues, which historically have been tarred with stigma that have prevented people from seeking the treatment they need.”
Hidalgo said she decided to seek inpatient care based on her physician’s recommendation.
“My experience has been difficult, but I am taking it as an opportunity to be open about my own struggle, my own challenges, and to encourage others, who need help, to seek treatment,” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo is among a small but growing group of political figures who have shared their mental health treatment publicly.
Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania received six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota in 2019 shared her experiences with depression, saying she relied on therapy and medication to navigate the condition.
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