Elon Musk tweeted late Wednesday night that he has never received treatment, a fact he wants to immortalize on his tombstone. No matter what you think of the billionaire’s stance on mental health treatment, Musk’s tweets may seem unremarkable in isolation. Yet, for some reason, Musk keeps tweeting about it, tweeting three times in the past two months alone.
- Musk tweeted: “Write ‘never had treatment’ on my tombstone.” February 28.
- “He’s absolutely right. Please write ‘never treated’ on my tombstone,” Musk wrote on Twitter. January 29 In response to a video by film director Werner Herzog.
- “Please put ‘never went to therapy’ and ‘invented car fart’ on my tombstone. Those are my only requests,” Musk wrote on Twitter. January 8adding an extra element to his supposed tombstone.
But that’s just the last few times Musk has tweeted about therapy.Another example of Musk using the same language occurred in July 2023the Tesla CEO was responding to the views of a far-right influencer on X who argued that white liberals suffer from more mental illness than the general population.
“Why is mental illness so prominent among white liberals?” The account is titled “Rabbit Hole,” Tweet.
“‘Never been treated’ please put that on my tombstone,” Musk responded.
Obviously, the choice to undergo treatment is personal, and Musk is free to decide whether he thinks such a thing would be helpful. But if he really has “never” been to therapy, it does seem a bit odd that he would think he could make a valid judgment about whether therapy would work for him. After all, that’s according to one billionaire who takes trace amounts of ketamine to treat depression. wall street journal Last year’s report. Typically, any pharmacological intervention for a mental health problem requires treatment from a professional.
Musk has said multiple times that he often struggles with mental health issues, including last year on the Lex Friedman podcast, where he referred to his thoughts as “storms.”
“My mind is like a storm. I think most people don’t want to be me. They probably think they want to be me, but they don’t know, they don’t understand,” Musk tell Friedman.
Musk was asked about this comment in an interview with The New York Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin – and his mind was a firestorm. November 30, 2023 At the DealBook Summit in New York. Sorkin attempted to delve deeper into the issues that might be troubling Musk, and after an excruciating 12 seconds of silence in front of a live audience, Musk spoke completely spontaneously, feeling like he was in a therapist’s office.
“I wish we were like on the psychiatrist’s couch. You know, I think in a way I was born that way, but, frankly, it was amplified by a difficult childhood. But I remember, even though In my happy moments as a child, I also always had a… angry force in my mind,” Musk explained.
Musk said that sometimes this distraction in his head allows him to be productive. But after the successful listing, Musk seemed to be troubled and introspective again.
“So, you know, these mind demons are very much being used for productive purposes. But that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally, you know… make mistakes,” Musk said.
Musk also touched on having suicidal thoughts at a young age.
“I mean, when I was about twelve years old, I did go through an existential crisis, thinking, what is the meaning of life? Isn’t it all pointless? Why not just kill yourself? Why does it exist?” Musk recalled.
What may be most memorable about that interview was Musk’s defiant attitude in the face of advertiser backlash over the widely circulated comments. considered anti-Semitic. But the comments are worth revisiting, as the billionaire continues to reiterate that he doesn’t need treatment.
Then again, Musk is free to hold whatever views he likes about the mental health industry and is free to choose the path he wants to take in life. After all, he is the richest man in the world and is doing well in a material sense. But considering Musk often tweets about how he’s never been in therapy, it’s clearly a topic on his mind, and some people do find it useful to have people to talk to.
More than 50,000 Americans will die by suicide in 2023, slightly higher than the 49,449 suicide deaths in 2022 and the 48,183 suicide deaths in 2021. According to CDC. While therapy isn’t magical, it can help people in desperate situations.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or considering suicide, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.