CHICAGO – Jesse Jackson Jr.’s transfer to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota could indicate that a physical illness arose during the Illinois congressman’s treatment for depression, experts said Saturday.

The Chicago Democrat has been on a secretive leave of absence for nearly seven weeks, during which his office has released only occasional snippets of information, including that he was undergoing treatment for a “mood disorder” at an undisclosed location.

On Friday, the Mayo Clinic distributed a statement from the congressman that said he had been transferred there for “extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues.”

John Anderson, of the Associates in Psychiatry and Psychology in southeastern Minnesota, said people receiving psychiatric care are often transferred to the Mayo Clinic when a physical illness develops because both can be treated there.

“Mayo does an excellent job in terms of combining those, so they can treat what’s essentially a dual diagnosis,” he said.

Jackson underwent a procedure in 2004 to help him lose weight that involves removing part of the stomach.

The statement did not disclose where the longtime Chicago congressman, the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, had been staying previously.

He went on leave June 10, though his office didn’t disclose it until weeks later.

The timing of his medical leave has raised questions, in part because Jackson is facing an ethics investigation in the U.S. House connected to imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that Jackson was involved in discussions about raising money for Blagojevich’s campaign in exchange for the then-governor appointing him to President Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat.

 

Copy the Story Link