Sen. Mitch McConnell's office released another photo this week that it says shows him on the road to recovery, but according to one professional psychologist, the image still contains "red flags" that cast doubt on his condition.

McConnell has been hospitalized since mid-June after reportedly being found unconscious at his home. Because his office has provided little transparency about his condition, conspiracy theories have circulated about his true health status, including claims that he is close to death or already dead, and that his condition is being concealed to avoid triggering a special election for his Senate seat. The lack of detailed public updates has also made each new image or statement a focal point for scrutiny from supporters, critics, and online commenters alike.

In the latest statement released by his office, McConnell said he was still undergoing intensive physical therapy at home after being discharged from the hospital, and had not yet been cleared by his doctors to return to the Senate.

In a new video reacting to the photo, Dr. John Paul Garrison, a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist who specializes in body language, pointed to what he described as multiple red flags in the image.

First, Garrison said the photo composition appeared deliberately arranged to keep McConnell's hands out of frame, which could hide any possible "edemas" or other signs of concern. He also said the image seemed designed to answer as few questions as possible about the senator, while conveying only that he is alive and smiling.

"They don't want you to ask any other questions; they don't want to give any other information," Garrison said.

He added that, as in the first photo, McConnell and his wife were looking in different directions, which he described as a notable concern. This time, however, he said the issue was much less obvious and would not stand out to a casual viewer. Chao, he said, appeared to be looking at the camera being used to take the photo, while McConnell appeared to be looking at the person taking the picture.

"Once again, this is the best that they could do," he said. "It doesn't seem that they're able to get him to be with it enough to take a decent photo."

Garrison also said Chao appeared to be applying significant pressure as she held her husband's arm, which he interpreted as an effort to keep him still, either because he could not do so himself or because he may have been struggling to sit upright.

"The amount of pressure that she has on his arm right there is not affection," Garrison argued. "This is not demonstrating closeness. This is demonstrating that she is providing stability."

He further noted that McConnell appeared to have the top button of his shirt undone, even though he typically wears his shirts buttoned to the top. Garrison said this could indicate that his team wanted that area of his body to remain easily accessible, possibly for medical reasons, or that the senator was not comfortable having it buttoned.

"I think that tells you just how precarious this situation is," Garrison continued. "And to use the word I used last time, just how fragile he actually is. I think that McConnell is so fragile and so frail that they did some very, very subtle trickery to try to show some degree of liveliness. I do think that this is a very, very carefully positioned picture, and it doesn't show robustness or strength. It just shows that he is alive, basically."