Is Tesla boss Elon Musk suffering a mental health problem? Well, it seems that the 46-year-old tech honcho took his 11 million Twitter followers by surprise when he candidly responded to a tweet about his “amazing life.”
Even though he has not been diagnosed with depression or Bipolar Disorder, several reports said Musk may have hinted his battle against a mental health problem on social media. Some have claimed the possibility as the Tesla Inc. founder and CEO is approaching the age when the risk for depression is on the rise.
‘Unrelenting stress’ and bipolar disorder
In a series of questions sent on Twitter about his life, Elon Musk gamely answered that he, too, has experienced some high and lows in life. He also revealed that he suffered “unrelenting stress.” But when someone asked if he was bipolar, he replied yes but stressed that he was not medically diagnosed with the disorder.
Even though Musk is an epitome of success, the SpaceX and Neutralink CEO also had his own share of failures. In fact, the tech legend, who is reportedly dating Amber Heard, has been divorced three times and he nearly died from Malaria in 2000.
The reality is great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress. Don't think people want to hear about the last two.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
Yeah
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
Maybe not medically tho. Dunno. Bad feelings correlate to bad events, so maybe real problem is getting carried away in what I sign up for.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
I'm sure there are better answers than what I do, which is just take the pain and make sure you really care about what you're doing
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
Depression vs. Bipolar disorder
In recent years, studies showed that depression has become prevalent among middle-aged men in the United States.
According to the Anxiety and Depression of America, more than 15 million Americans are battling this debilitating mental illness throughout the country.
Even though depression is the most common mental health problem, it is considered a serious mood disorder that affects how you feel, think, sleep, eat and work. It can also develop at any age.
Bipolar disorder, on the other hand, is associated with mood swings but it is different from depression. People diagnosed with bipolar disorder experiences extremely low or high moods, which include irritability and euphoric feeling.
Depression gene
Due to the prevalence of depression, science has reportedly found a gene associated with the mental illness.
In a Reader’s Digest report, researchers found that almost 25 percent of the population have an increased risk for depression because of a DNA variant in their genetic makeup.
According to the study published in the journal of Clinical Psychiatry by Rosanna Scott, experts revealed that individuals with the gene variant polipoprotein-E4 (ApoE4) have an increased risk of developing depression later in life as compared to those who do not possess it. Since the gene can be indicative of the future development of clinically significant depressive symptom, Scott said that the people with the gene variant could have some control to improve their health. Hence, they could also control the risk of developing the disorder.
Tesla Model 3
Meanwhile, the production of Tesla Model 3 might have taken a toll on Musk’s mental health after he described the manufacturing as “production hell.” But the deliveries for the brand–new cars have already started last Friday during the official unveiling event.
