Presidents have had a history of hiding their medical problems in order to uphold a certain image for the public. President Dwight Eisenhower once suffered from a stroke in 1957. Although one is able to recover from a stroke, one is often unable to speak properly because his speech is affected by the attack. This is gives White House advisors reason to keep the President's condition hidden because the inability to speak properly makes the American public believe that the President isn't able to communicate effectively with others, despite how sympathetic one may be towards the situation.
Depression also has a stigma which can affect one's presidency. For example in 1924, Calvin Coolidge's son passed away, Coolidge was begining his second term. During this term he didn't have any major accomplishments or policies, which may have been due to the depression that one experiences after losing a loved one. Today, there is still a stigma associated with the use of anti-depressants and how stable a person who uses them is. Thus it is difficult for Presidents or candidates to reveal their medical history.
Franklin Roosevelt is the most famous example of a president who was able to conceal his illness. Because he suffered from polio, a disease that was well known at time, he seemed more human to his constituents. Also the press was very respectful and did not publish stories that would harm his image or print pictures of him in his wheelchair.
Presently is it difficult to gauge how the public will receive information about their President suffering from an illness. The press is far more vicious than the past, and with the widespread use of the internet, more information is available to the public.
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