Depression Respects No Boundaries, Titles, Or Office
21 million Americans suffer from clinical depression, including Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Like Harris Country Judge Lina Hidalgo, I’m one of 21 million Americans diagnosed with clinical depression. That there’s a growing awareness and acceptance of this reality is a good thing. My experience with depression is almost certainly a thread running through my entire life, but my awareness of it extends primarily through my adult life.
I was diagnosed in my mid-20s. It was bad enough dealing with a diagnosis of clinical depression as a relatively unknown young man. If I’d had to do it at that time as a public figure, I don’t know how, or even if, I would’ve been able to handle it.
For someone like Hidalgo, the Chief Executive of one of the nation's largest counties, coping with clinical depression can’t be easy. As a Democrat in a deeply red state, Hidalgo has been a constant target of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Looney Tunes Republicans in the Lone Star State and Harris County. Houston may be a majority-blue city, but it’s not without its influential (and bat-shit crazy) Republicans who’d love nothing better than to see Hidalgo fail epically.
Being in a complex and very public spot has no doubt left little room for Hidalgo to deal with being a real person. For her to recognize that she needs to take care of her mental health before anything else is courageous. Understanding that she needs to step away for a few weeks to do this is a gutsy move in a place where many will interpret her move as a sign of weakness. This is especially true in a political atmosphere like Harris County, but Hidalgo has proven her toughness on many occasions.
Acknowledging that she may face political blowback when she returns was, I imagine, part of her calculations, but there’s a time when politics can’t take precedence over personal considerations. Sometimes, none of that other shit matters if you don’t have peace of mind. And no matter what happens in Harris County politics, Lina Hidalgo can’t run from herself.
Her constituents and political opponents can think what they want, but Hidalgo is first and foremost responsible to herself. If she can’t find the tools to manage and live with her depression effectively, then not much else matters. But if she can learn how to manage her self-talk, deal with her triggers, and understand that her thoughts aren’t who she is, she can return to work in good shape.
Sometimes we all need a tune-up, an opportunity to look under the hood and gain more self-awareness. Not many of us have a chance to take several weeks’ leave to do that, and the fact that Lina Hidalgo can avail herself of an opportunity like that is fantastic.
No matter what happens during her treatment, her job isn’t who she is. If she decides during her time on leave to do something different, head in another direction, to protect her mental health, then that’s what she should do. There’s nothing wrong with listening to herself and doing what she believes to be in her best interest. Perhaps that will be staying where she is, perhaps not. There are bigger, better, different, and undoubtedly less stressful things than politics.
Lina Hidalgo is an intelligent, gifted, and capable woman who would undoubtedly succeed at whatever challenge she chooses, whether in politics or the private sector. But, first things first.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is taking a temporary leave from office for the next several weeks to seek in-patient care for clinical depression at an out of state facility, according to an announcement Monday from her office. Hidalgo's medical care team said they are hopeful she will return to her normal schedule by early September.
During her time away, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis will preside over official proceedings, including the Commissioners Court. However, Hidalgo will remain in communication with key county staff and available to discharge her duties as county judge, her office said. Her chief of staff will also continue to manage Hidalgo's day-to-day operations in her office.
In a letter, Hidalgo said that she was diagnosed for clinical depression last month and checked herself into the out of state facility in late July. "It is important for me personally to confront this issue swiftly, so I will be taking temporary leave while I am receiving treatment," Hidalgo wrote. "I remain passionate about Harris County and its people and look forward to returning at full strength."
Thankfully, Hidalgo chose to deal with her diagnosis quickly and openly. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, and if there’s one thing we’re learning as a society, it’s that the more we talk about it, the less stigmatized it becomes.
Many well-known people have been quite open about their struggles with depression. In most cases, those folks have done so with the hope that their openness will make it easier for others to address and discuss their own journey with depression.
In Hidalgo’s case, she’s received nothing from support from her Democratic colleagues in Houston. Republicans, at least so far, have held their fire and have been compassionate in their silence. That may be the best that can be hoped for from them, but it’s not nothing, either.
Hidalgo added that she wants to be open about her own struggles and challenges to encourage others who need help to seek treatment. "All of us know someone—a friend, a coworker, or a family member—who suffers from depression," she wrote. "I encourage every person that is struggling with mental health challenges to look for support in your community, your loved ones, and your doctor."
In a statement, Mayor Sylvester Turner offered thoughts and prayers for Hidalgo during this time. "As difficult as this may be, Judge Lina Hidalgo is not alone in facing this challenge," he said. "A 2023 report showed that over 30% of adults meet the criteria for having depression and/or anxiety. Thankfully, she is in the care of doctors who recognize that this is treatable and is committed to getting better."
I’ve written about my struggles with depression and ADD over the years in the hope that it might help someone somewhere to recognize that there’s nothing wrong with seeking help.
(Reader: Hey, if something THAT f****d up can get help, maybe I can, too….)
Once upon a time, I viewed my depression and ADD as things that were “wrong” with me…and I still struggle with that perception from time to time. For the most part, though, I recognize that those things are just parts of who I am, and I know I have the tools to deal with them.
It can be frustrating, sometimes maddeningly so, to be unable to do things the way “normal” people do, and that can and sometimes does trigger my depression. It’s never something that’s ever gone; it’s always there. At the very least, it’s lurking somewhere in the background. Even if I’m feeling good, it’s there, ready to jump in immediately. It’s up to me to use the tools I’ve learned to keep the depression at bay. Most of the time, it works; sometimes, not so much.
I don’t know Lina Hidalgo, but I’ve seen her interviewed numerous times, and she impresses me as someone who’s intelligent, gifted, and has a low threshold for bullshit. But even the good ones aren’t immune to depression. For her sake, I hope she can find her way back to herself and return to doing what she wants to do…whatever that may be.
This world needs more people like Lina Hidalgo.
Thanks for again sharing, and helping to raise awareness.