Lady Gaga opens up about her past psychosis and mental health journey

Lady Gaga: 'It can get better. It did for me, and I'm grateful for that.' Photo / Getty Images

Lady Gaga suffered with psychosis five years ago.

The 38-year-old singer and actress opened up about her mental health and said that she was not in a good place previously, but revealed it ultimately led to a “special” moment between herself and her now-fiancé Michael Polanksy.

Speaking on The Interview podcast from the New York Times, Gaga explained: “Five years ago, I had psychosis. I was not deeply in touch with reality for a while. It took me out of life in a big way, and after a lot of years of hard work I got myself back.

“It was a hard time, and it was actually really special when I met my partner because when I met Michael, I was in a much better place, but I remember him saying to me, pretty early on, ‘I know you could be a lot happier than you are’.

“It was really hard for me to hear him say that because I didn’t want him to think that of me. I wanted him to think I was like this happy, totally together person.

“From the moment that I met Michael, he had the most warm and kind disposition of maybe anyone that I had met in my whole life.”

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Gaga also admitted she finds it difficult to discuss her mental health.

She said: “It’s something that I have found increasingly harder to talk about. I hate feeling defined by it.

“It felt like something I felt ashamed of. But I don’t think that we should feel ashamed if we go through times like that. I mostly just wish to say, it can get better. It did for me, and I’m grateful for that.”

Gaga and Polansky first went public with their relationship in 2019 and confirmed their engagement in July 2024.