Lady Gaga Reveals Her Struggle With Mental Illness PTSD During Homeless Shelter Visit
Lady Gaga recently opened up about her struggles with the mental condition post-traumatic stress disorder, which became a problem for her after she was raped at the age of 19.
Lady Gaga revealed the shocking news of her PTSD while she was visiting an LGBT homeless shelter called the Ali Forney Center in New York. The pop icon gave her story to the youths living in the homeless shelter to encourage them and sympathize with them for all the struggles that they have been through.
#LadyGaga reveals she has PTSD after #rape aged 19 https://t.co/08rpOR4Hqj Singer states #PTSD affects her "every day". #Survivor @ladygaga
— Tom West (@tomwest1984) December 6, 2016
“My own trauma in my own life has helped me to understand the trauma of others,” Gaga explained.
Lady Gaga’s story about being raped at the age of 19 came as a shock to many. She told NBC’s Today that talking about it at the LGBT homeless shelter was the first time that she has ever shared the story with anyone. She further added that she was lucky to have a strong network of people around her and that their kindness was significant to her healing process after her devastating ordeal.
“I’ve been searching for ways to help myself, and I found that kindness is the best way,” the musician added.
Lady Gaga visited the Harlem shelter and carried lots of goodies including clothes, holiday gifts and make up, which she gave to those living at the shelter. She was compassionate about their situation and that is why she revealed her struggle with PTSD. Gaga also told the people living at the shelter that she has never revealed her PTSD condition to anyone. She also told them that her family, friends, and doctors offered her so much kindness along the way and she feels that it saved her life.
The female pop star was featured on the Today talk show on Monday where she revealed more details. She also explained that the young people living in the shelter are not only homeless and in need, most of them have gone through some trauma at some point in their lives and they have survived it. She added that most of them feel rejected in one way or the other. The singer/songwriter also said she felt encouraged by the story of one of the young men seeking refuge at the shelter. He told her that her song “Born this way” kept him going when his parents rejected him because he was gay.
Lady Gaga explained that meditation is one of the tricks that she uses to calm down whenever she experiences a PTSD episode. She told them that she does not have the same problems that they have, but that she has a mental illness which she struggles with on a daily basis. She also revealed her mantra which is “You are brave. You are courageous” which she claims is important to her because it keeps her relaxed.
Lady Gaga said she suffers from PTSD during a visit with homeless LGBT youth https://t.co/OyiBKN5OTH
— TIME (@TIME) December 5, 2016
The artist’s journey while dealing with the condition encouraged her to create a non-profit awareness campaign called “The Born This Way Foundation” which she co-launched with her mother. The non-profit organization was created to raise awareness about mental health. After her brief interview at the show, Gaga posted a short video of her interview and the caption was that she had just revealed one of her deepest and darkest secrets.
The female singer recently stated that things such a money, beauty, and fame have been put on a pedestal. She explained that she has traveled the world and has discovered that most of the happiest people live in the poorest places on earth. Lady Gaga believes that kindness is more important than fame or money, thus her visit to the shelter as well as revealing about her struggle with PTSD.
[Featured Image by Joel Ryan/AP Images]
