Elon Musk stated in a tweet on the night of February 28 that he has never sought therapy and wishes for this fact to be remembered on his gravestone.
Over the past couple of months, the billionaire has reiterated multiple times on Twitter that he has never undergone therapy.
Then, on Feb. 28, he tweeted: “Put ‘Never Went to Therapy’ on my gravestone.” Musk tweeted on February 28.
In July of the previous year, Elon Musk stated that therapy is a scam and that friends are a preferable choice. Despite the billionaire’s unconventional views, this perspective on mental health is widely shared: a recent survey revealed that 47% of Americans believe that “seeking therapy is a sign of weakness.”
“Friends are far better than therapy. The incentive structure is to keep you hooked, never ‘cured.’ Be especially wary of therapists in expensive neighborhoods — their true loyalty is to their landlord, not you, Musk tweeted on July 17.
Although the billionaire displays eccentric behavior, a prevalent viewpoint within the industry is that seeking therapy is perceived as a sign of weakness by 47% of Americans, according to a 2021 poll.
But clinical psychologists say that talking to a therapist is much different than talking to your friends.
“Most people listen with the intent to respond. Friends have conversations, share personal information with each other and problem-solve in a social or caring way,” Dr. Deborah Serani told PsychCentral. But therapists, she said, are trained to listen and encourage self-reflection and growth.
Psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber added that therapy is an objective pathway toward personal growth.
“Our friends are oftentimes either happy for us or afraid for us but typically are not engineering their feedback to support long-term growth and change,” he said.
