Lady Gaga suffers from mental illness. Photo / Getty
Lady Gaga suffers from mental illness. Photo / Getty
Lady Gaga is not afraid to open up.
The singer, 32, revealed she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a pre-recorded piece that aired on The Today Show on Monday.
The pop superstar took some time out of her busy schedule to visit the Ali Forney Center in New York City where she shared one of her 'deepest secrets' with the homeless kids at the shelter.
'I have a mental illness and I struggle with that mental illness every day. My own trauma in my own life has helped me to understand the trauma of others.'
The Born This Way singer is a rape survivor and says she continues to suffer the ramifications.
'I told the kids today, "I suffer from PTSD." I've never told anyone that before. So here we are.'
She says it was the kindness she was shown by others that helped her get through her darkest days: 'The kindness that's shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it's really saved my life.'
The Joanne singer visited the shelter as part of the #ShareKindness campaign, which is put on by Today and NBC Universal to celebrate acts of kindness both big and small.
Gaga first revealed she was raped when she was 19 during an interview with Howard Stern in 2014.
It took her seven years to tell anyone about the experience, but once she did, she became an outspoken advocate for victims of sexual assault and violence.
Her Oscar-nominated song Til It Happens To You, which was featured in the documentary The Hunting Ground, about campus rape, details the harrowing experience of what it is like to be sexually assaulted.
Gaga, who is currently in London for work, tweeted Monday about the importance of sharing her experiences with others.
'Today I shared one my deepest secrets w/ the world. Secrets keep you sick w/ shame,' she wrote on Twitter.
During her visit to the shelter, the 32-year-old brought clothes and other essential items for the teens, but also took time the time to speak with them, giving them little tips on how she has coped with some of her personal issues.
"Meditation helps me to calm down," she told the teens. "I don't have the same kind of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness and I struggle with that every day so I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed."
This comes shortly after the Joanne singer admitted fame doesn't make people happy.
The Bad Romance hitmaker believes celebrities have been "put on a pedestal" and feels kindness is far more important than celebrity and fame.
She said: "Money has been put on a pedestal, beauty has been put on a pedestal, celebrity has been put on a pedestal. I have travelled the world and seen the happiest people in the poorest parts of the world.
"Their values are intact. In the richest homes I meet the saddest and most depressed people. With this album I wanted to remind the whole world and my fans that the most important things are love and kindness. Kindness is what will create harmony, not celebrity and not fame."
