It's hard out here for a superstar. A-list artists like Demi Lovato, Billie Eilish and Kanye West are all being open about their mental health struggles these days. Now Lady Gaga has entered the chat.
Gaga just appeared on Apple TV's 'The Me You Can't See,' a mental health docuseries created by Oprah and Prince Harry. Read on to learn about her darkest struggles in her own words.
It Started When She Was 'Really Young'
In the docuseries' first episode, things get dark almost immediately. Gaga talks about self-harming since she was "really young," along with being repeatedly assaulted by record producers when she was just 19. She says her self-harm escalated as a way to cope.
"It's a really very real thing to feel like there's a black cloud following you wherever you go, telling you that you're worthless and deserve to die," she explains. Even now, Gaga admits that she gets the urge to harm herself when things remind her of that trauma she faced as a teen.
"Even if I have six brilliant months, all it takes is getting triggered once to feel bad. And when I say I feel bad, I mean I want to [self-harm]."
She Says It's NEVER the Solution
Gaga very generously goes into detail about her pain, numbness, and the "ultra state of paranoia" that she tried to heal with self-harm- but she makes it very clear that hurting herself never actually helped.
"You know why it’s not good to throw yourself against the wall? You know why it's not good to self-harm?" she asks. "Because it makes you feel worse. You think you’re going to feel better because you're showing somebody, 'Look, I’m in pain.' It doesn’t help."
Her advice:
"I always tell people, 'tell somebody, don’t show somebody.'"
She Wants Fans to Help Each Other
By being open about her difficult past, Gaga says she hopes to discourage others from relying on the same dangerous habits she did.
"I don't tell this story for my own self service, cause to be honest it's hard to tell," she explains. "I feel a lot of shame about it."
She says speaking about her struggles is "part of my healing," and one way she can help her fans live better lives. By reaching out to one another, she believes that little monsters everywhere can be lifted out of their shame spirals and into safer, more healthy states of mind.
"I'm not here to tell my story to you because I want anybody to cry for me, I'm good," she says. "But open your heart up for somebody else, because I'm telling you I've been through it and people need help."
If this issue impacts you, you can take Gaga's advice and find support right here.