Jesse Jackson Jr. in Mayo Clinic for depression

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) – The Mayo Clinic says Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is being treated for depression at its hospital in Rochester, Minn.

  • Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., at the 2011 dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.

    By Charles Dharapak, AP

    Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., at the 2011 dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.

By Charles Dharapak, AP

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., at the 2011 dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.

The hospital's statement Friday provides the first details about the congressman's whereabouts and condition since he mysteriously went on a medical leave from Congress several weeks ago.

The hospital says he's undergoing an extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and for gastrointestinal issues.

His staff initially said the Democrat was being treated for exhaustion, then later said his condition was more serious and that he'd been grappling with emotional issues. They never said where he was.

The Mayo Clinic's statement didn't address Jackson's previous whereabouts. But it said the congressman, the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and his family are "grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers."

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