What Caused Elon musk’s Depression? (+3 Main Reasons)
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In this article, the complete story about Elon musk’s depression will be told.
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Elon Reeve Musk FRS is a business magnate, industrial designer, and engineer (born June 28, 1971). He is SpaceX’s founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer; Tesla, Inc.’s early investor, CEO, and product architect; The Boring Company’s founder; Neuralink’s co-founder; and OpenAI’s co-founder and initial co-chairman. He was also ranked 25th on the Forbes list of The Most Influential People in the World that year and was ranked joint-first on the 2019 Most Creative Leaders’ Forbes list. Musk’s net worth was measured at US$153.5 billion by Forbes as of December 19, 2020, making him the second-richest person in the world, behind Jeff Bezos.
In the business world, one of the most common challenges faced by entrepreneurs is depression. Hiding a fierce mental struggle behind happy-looking faces and prosperous lives. Courage is what it takes to speak out about mental health problems and stand up.
Michael A. Freeman, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, and his team investigated entrepreneurial mental health issues in 2015. They found that mental health issues were identified by 72% of the entrepreneurs they surveyed. In particular, 49 percent reported having one or more mental health problems during their lifetime. Overall, entrepreneurs were 30 percent more likely than members of the general public to suffer depression.
Elon musk’s depression
In a series of Monday morning tweets that gave unparalleled insights into his personal life, Elon Musk has disclosed that he suffers from bipolar disorder.
In frank answers to questions from other Twitter users about his mental state, the Tesla founder opened up, according to the Daily Mail, revealing some of the chaos he faces every day.
The truth is fantastic highs, horrible lows, and unrelenting stress. He wrote in one tweet, “The reality is great highs, terrible lows, and unrelenting stress. Don’t think people want to hear about the last two,”
The 46-year-old also reacted by saying “yeah.” to someone who asked him if he was bipolar.
Bipolar disorder is a state of mental health marked by periods of feeling very high and very low. In their daily lives, everyone experiences ups and downs, but bipolar changes the attitude of a person so easily and severely that it has a significant effect on the life of a person.
“Maybe not medically tho [sic]. Dunno. Bad feelings correlate to bad events, so maybe the real problem is getting carried away in what I sign up for.”Maybe not tho [sic] medically. Dunno. Bad feelings correlate with bad events, so maybe the real problem is getting carried away in what I sign up for.
He said, “Take the pain and make sure you care about what you’re doing.” when asked about how he deals with the lows of his life.
Though a doctor has not diagnosed Musk, endless research shows the link between high levels of stress and depression.
Like what is triggered at a high-power work, sustained or chronic stress induces elevated levels of hormones such as cortisol and decreased brain serotonin and other neurotransmitters. This imbalance has been related directly to depression.
Elon musk’s depression and relationships
Worldwide, depression affects more than 300 million individuals a year, a number that is gradually increasing. Besides, researchers have investigated connections between technology and depression, finding that because people use smartphones and tablets more frequently, employees are constantly under pressure to respond to texts and calls when they are away from the workplace.
The app blurs the lines between work and home and may cause significant issues with mental health.
Musk has a history of depression in his relationships as well.
He has been married three times, most recently to Talulah Riley, a British model, and actress, who has been married twice. The pair got married for the first time in 2010 but broke up later in 2012. The two remarried just months later.
He applied for a second divorce from Riley in 2014, before drawing up the paperwork. Finally, Riley filed for divorce from Musk in March of 2016, and the separation was finalized by the end of the year.
His previous relationships may have been influenced by Musk’s struggle with depression and possibly bipolar disorder.
He is now dating Amber Heard, who recently applied for her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, to be divorced. Since she accused him of domestic violence, the two married in 2014 and divorced in 2016.
Elon musk’s depression reasons
While answering questions on Twitter this week, Musk, chief executive and founder of Tesla TSLA, spoke of his “great highs, awful lows, and unrelenting stress.” He said, “Don’t think people want to hear about the last two.” And although depression was not diagnosed, Musk suggested that he may be bipolar. It is necessary to differentiate between normal ups and downs and psychiatric depression, but among people of Musk’s generation, there has been an increase in the latter.
When the risk of depression increases, Musk, 46, is approaching age. According to a 2015 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey of 173,655 adults, some 11 percent of Generation X-ers, born between 1965 and 1979, indicated that they were currently being treated for depression, second only to 14 percent of baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. The survey found that the number of Generation X-ers who were treated for depression is almost twice the percentage for millennials (7 percent).
Studies show that, over the last decade, depression has increased among middle-aged American men. And while depression is more likely to affect people with lower incomes, it is also common among highly successful people.
“Mark Hamrick, Washington D.C., says, “If you could buy yourself out of depression, a lot of people will, Chief of the office at the Bankrate.com personal-finance site. This is an individual who is extremely driven and involved in ways that few of us can even imagine. He’s motivated and an intellectual giant, along with Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Albert Einstein, considering his achievements.
“Hamrick says, “This is a situation where his crown is also his cross. It’s hard to keep going 24/7 at that pace, says Hamrick, who hosted Musk in Washington, D.C. as president of the National Press Club in 2011. “As someone who spoke of going to Mars in 2011 and, since we’re not even going to the Moon right now, you can imagine that he’s taking his temperature relative to his aspirations.”
Musk tweeted last June, “A little red wine, a vintage album, some Ambien… and magic!” This is a terrible mix,” says Denise Dudley, author of “Work It! And a clinical psychologist, Get In, Get Heard, Get Promoted. “He’s probably a very wound-up guy and a lot of us feel like we’ve got so much to accomplish.”
But to soothe anxieties, Dudley says it’s best to steer clear of alcohol and drugs. She suggests unplugging and running from the daily grind instead.
Relations between a stressful economy and depression have been found in other studies. According to a paper published last year in the Journal of Health Economics, the sudden loss of capital in the stock market has dramatically increased the use of antidepressants. The $50,000 loss of non-housing capital raised the risk of feeling depressed by 85, however, it concluded, this did not transition to longer-term clinical depression.
What’s more, studies suggest that men are less likely than women to pursue and obtain depression assistance, and their depression may thus go undiagnosed. Like Musk did with his SpaceX program and Tesla electric cars, as people mature, a meaningful career becomes more important and, maybe, regretfully kiss goodbye to pursuing their dreams, says Steve Langerud, a Grinnell, Iowa, based workplace consultant.
Elon musk’s work on depression
The Neuralink system from Elon Musk aims to battle neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and epilepsy, along with other medical conditions such as strokes. The Relation could, however, also battle common disorders of anxiety and depression, which are at an all-time high.
Ever since the company was formed in July 2016, Musk has been outspoken about Neuralink’s potential assistance in combating brain diseases and disorders. He has, however, rarely, if ever, spoken about the potential of the Connection to overcome anxiety and depression disorders. It was unclear that the system could support these common mental disorders until last Friday’s presentation, which updated the public on the progress of the business.
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent type of mental illness in the United States, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and 40 million people aged 18 and older are affected by them. Just 36.9% of these affected individuals are given professional care.
Patients are most often treated with strong prescription drugs that can either support or harm anyone who has a condition. There are plenty of different medications out there, and choices are never short for physicians and psychiatrists.
The side effects of the drugs, however, typically consist of a long list of things that put patients off. These therapies can also make it worse and can lead to addiction and dependence.
Luckily, Musk is working with a Neuralink system to fight strong disorders. Although anxiety and depression disorders are seldom “cookie-cutter” cases, while patients are seeking care, the removable Connection system may be used to temporarily fight the diseases. Conditions can get so serious at times that patients have trouble leaving their homes, even if it is to go to an appointment for counseling or psychiatry. The devices of Neuralink may help some of the affected work for a short time, like normal people.
Getting a Neuralink system implanted in someone’s brain who has anxiety or depression problems could help provide patients with a glimpse of what daily life is like, which could provide a hopeful surge in the lives of those afflicted by devastating diseases.
It is unclear when human testing of devices for Neuralink will begin. The Link’s capabilities and possibilities, however, could help tackle a large number of medical diseases that affect daily life. Neuralink seeks to create an affordable alternative for people who do not have access to critical medical services as anxiety and depression rates spike and healthcare costs increase. Neuralink could put an end to increasing rates of anxiety and depression with the right research and development and could help combat the growing number of suicides that bring lives to an end before help can be accessed.
Elon Musk also noted that it is both “great and frightening” that his brain-computer chip startup could help to cure mental disorders, including depression, stating Neuralink’s “top priority” for dealing with brain injuries.
In this article, the complete story about Elon musk’s depression was told.
References
Elon Musk’s Neuralink and what it means for anxiety and depression
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