CHICAGO â€" Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who has been on medical leave since early June, is being treated for “Bipolar II depression†at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, according to a statement released by the clinic Monday providing the most recent update on the congressman's medical condition.
“Many Americans have bipolar disorder,†said the brief statement, which the clinic said it was distributing at Mr. Jackson's request. “Bipolar II disorder is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion, thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors.â€
The Democrat from Illinois has been absent from Congress since June 10. His office announced he was on medical leave two weeks later, saying that the congressman was being treated for exhaustion, but giving no further details.
As speculation has built about Mr. Jackson's condi tion and location, the congressman has released a slow drip of information in recent weeks, disclosing that he was undergoing “intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder†early last month. On July 29, the Mayo Clinic announced that Mr. Jackson was at its facility in Rochester, Minn., receiving inpatient evaluation.
The clinic's statement on Monday also noted that Mr. Jackson had gastric bypass weight loss surgery in 2004, which it said is “increasingly common in the U.S. and can change how the body absorbs food, liquids, vitamins, nutrients and medications.â€
The update said Mr. Jackson was responding to the treatment and getting stronger, but offered no additional details about his condition or when he might return to work.
Mr. Jackson, 47, is up for re-election in November.
