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Chen suffering from
¡¥severe¡¦ depression: Veterans Hospital
AFP, TAIPEI
Former president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó) is suffering from ¡§severe¡¨ depression and
requires psychiatric treatment, Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) said
yesterday.
Chen, serving a 17-and-a-half-year prison term on corruption charges, was
treated at Taoyuan General Hospital last month after he developed urinary
problems and was later transferred to Taipei Veterans for a comprehensive
check-up, authorities said.
¡§Chen was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety disorder, both of which
have become chronic,¡¨ Veterans said in a statement, without elaborating.
It recommended further treatment at a specialized hospital.
Chen has also developed a stutter, which might be linked to mental illness or a
degeneration of his brain, as well as problems with his prostate and sleep apnea
¡X a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal breathing ¡X the hospital said.
Chen sought medical parole earlier this year when he was diagnosed with a
narrowing of his coronary arteries, but the Ministry of Justice denied it on the
ground that he could get proper treatment in prison.
TVGH said it would hold a press conference today and brief the public on how
Chen¡¦s condition has progressed since he was admitted on Sept. 21.
At that time, hospital vice superintendent Chen Tain-hsiung (³¯¤Ñ¶¯) said a team
comprised of at least 10 urologists, neurologists and psychiatrists had been
assembled to examine the former president using non-invasive methods such as MRI
scans and ultrasound scans.
Chen and family members were accused in a complex network of cases of sending
political donations and secret diplomatic funds abroad, money laundering and
taking kickbacks on government contracts.
Chen has said that the legal action against him is a political vendetta carried
out by the Beijing-friendly government in retaliation for his policies promoting
Taiwan¡¦s independence while in power.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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