Lady Gaga has called for “bold action” to help those suffering with their mental health.
The 32-year-old star paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade – who tragically both took their own lives – and reveled her hopes of igniting a “new movement” by speaking out about such a serious issue.
In an op-ed piece published by The Guardian newspaper, she wrote: “Suicide is the most extreme and visible symptom of the larger mental health emergency we are so far failing to adequately address. Stigma, fear and lack of understanding compound the suffering of those affected and prevent the bold action that is so desperately needed and so long overdue…
“Yet despite the universality of the issue, we struggle to talk about it openly or to offer adequate care or resources.
“Within families and communities, we often remain silenced by a shame that tells us that those with mental illness are somehow less worthy or at fault for their own suffering.”
Gaga has been open about her own battle with mental health in the past, and last month she revealed suffering a sexual assault at just 19 has left her feeling “miserable” every day.
She said: “No one else knew. It was almost like I tried to erase it from my brain. And when it finally came out, it was like a big, ugly monster. And you have to face the monster to heal. For me, with my mental health issues, half of the battle in the beginning was, I felt like I was lying to the world because I was feeling so much pain but nobody knew. So that’s why I came out and said that I have PTSD, because I don’t want to hide – any more than I already have to.
“I feel stunned. Or stunted. You know that feeling when you’re on a roller coaster and you’re just about to go down the really steep slope? That fear and the drop in your stomach? My diaphragm seizes up. Then I have a hard time breathing, and my whole body goes into a spasm. And I begin to cry. That’s what it feels like for trauma victims every day, and it’s … miserable. I always say that trauma has a brain. And it works its way into everything that you do.”
