Lady Gaga PTSD Triggered By Fans: Singer Pens Open Letter On Mental Illness


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Lady Gaga penned an open letter about her experience living with PTSD in which she explains the triggers for her illness, as well as the steps she has taken to overcome it.

Gaga first made the announcement to a group of LGBT youth at the Ali Forney Center for homeless youth in Harlem, New York, which was aired in a segment on NBC’s Today show last Friday. In the letter, published via her Born This Way Foundation website, Gaga elaborates on her diagnosis, describing the long road she has taken to get to this point with her illness.

“I have wrestled for some time about when, how and if I should reveal my diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After five years of searching for the answers to my chronic pain and the change I have felt in my brain, I am finally well enough to tell you. There is a lot of shame attached to mental illness, but it’s important that you know that there is hope and a chance for recovery.”

Gaga goes on to explain the effect the illness has on her day-to-day life, as well as certain situations that can trigger symptoms.

“It is a daily effort for me, even during this album cycle, to regulate my nervous system so that I don’t panic over circumstances that to many would seem like normal life situations. Examples are leaving the house or being touched by strangers who simply want to share their enthusiasm for my music.”

The letter continues with a sage warning on the dangers of ignoring illnesses such as PTSD, specifically how a culture of overwork led to Gaga ignoring her mental health on her 2011 “Born This Way Ball” tour.

“I was overworked and not taken seriously when I shared my pain and concern that something was wrong. I ultimately ended up injured on the Born This Way Ball. The experience of performing night after night in mental and physical pain ingrained in me a trauma that I relive when I see or hear things that remind me of those days.”

Gaga goes on to detail her reasoning for going public with her diagnosis and her hopes for others suffering from the disorder.

“I seek to raise awareness that this mental illness affects all kinds of people, including our youth. I pledge not only to help our youth not feel ashamed of their own conditions, but also to lend support to those servicemen and women who suffer from PTSD.”

Lady Gaga has penned a raw open letter on her PTSD diagnosis, suggesting her fans can trigger symptoms. [Image by Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Images]

Gaga finishes by highlighting the power of kindness – a sentiment she focused on during her visit to the Ali Forney Center.

“I believe that the most inexpensive and perhaps the best medicine in the world is words. Kind words…positive words…words that help people who feel ashamed of an invisible illness to overcome their shame and feel free. This is how I and we can begin to heal. I am starting today, because secrets keep you sick. And I don’t want to keep this secret anymore.”

Gaga has been praised by many for coming forward with her diagnosis and for her efforts in raising awareness, not just for PTSD but mental illness in general. On her visit to the Ali Forney Center, Gaga guided the attending youth crowd through a meditation exercise that she said helps to calm her down.

“I don’t have the same kinds of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness and I struggle with that mental illness every day so I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed.”

For those suffering from PTSD or mental illness of any sort, help can be accessed via the Born This Way Foundation website.

[Featured Image by Al Powers/AP Images]

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