Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. said he was hospitalized with depression earlier this year, speaking publicly for the first time during a speech on the House floor Tuesday after the New Jersey Republican went missing in action for nearly 4 months.

" Now, when people hear the word 'depression,' many people think simply it means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that. It is physical. It is emotional. And until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be,” Kean said during his 5-minute speech.