The Who member Pete Townshend is opening up about his struggles with mental health, revealing he has “suicidal” thoughts every morning.
He sat down with Sunday Times where he spoke about his experience which he described as “chemical depression” and said it was ongoing.
“When I first woke up, I was suicidal, really suicidal,” he told the outlet.
Townshend talked about choosing to wake up between 2 and 5 a.m. every day to improve his mindset, explaining, “I’m still in the same state I was before.”
He revealed that he went on to drink “a few cups of tea” and “two digestive biscuits”, which he said was “clearly equal to 17 lumps of sugar, and I felt happy”.
Townshend previously sought help from a professional when he was younger. However, he did not find it useful. Instead, he found purpose in journaling.
“If I start writing in my diary before I have a cup of tea, I will paint a very bleak picture of my life. Despite the fact that I have everything I want and everything I need…And I really had an extraordinary life,” Townshend said.
He continued that while he found the therapy effective for him, he understood that it worked for others and was hesitant to endorse specific solutions because it depends on the individual.
“I think because of social media in particular, the way that we carelessly share not only our concerns but perhaps our solutions as well. We’re a little careless about that because What works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you,” Townshend added.
According to Mindpeople working in the music industry are “more susceptible to mental health problems than the general population”, with “musicians three times more likely to suffer from depression”. They attribute this to financial pressures, isolation, lifestyle, busy schedules and addiction.
The Who became one of the most prominent bands of the ’60s and ’70s, scoring hits like “My Generation” and “Pinball Wizard.”
Tags People, Pete Townshend