Lady Gaga advocates better mental health care for people who work in the entertainment sector. The singer held her speech during an award ceremony of trade union SAG-AFTRA in Hollywood.
Gaga himself suffered multiple times with depression and post-traumatic disorders. “I wish there was a system that could have protected and guided me, a system to allow me to say no to things that I thought I should do,” says the singer.
“A system that allowed me to stay away from toxic work environments or to work with dubious people, there were days when I struggled or could not go to work, I do not want to go through that again and prevent other artists happening. ”
During her speech, Lady Gaga extensively discussed her own mental crisis that led her to seek professional help. “I began to notice that I had a blackout and stared in front of me for minutes, seeing flashes of things that I had been tormented by and that I had hidden in my head to protect myself, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) and I missed professionals around me. ”
Lady Gaga was struggling with suicidal thoughts
According to the 32-year-old singer, these mental complaints eventually resulted in physical pain, chronic pain, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. “A long list, but that list has changed my life and not for the better.”
She should have sought help before, she concluded. “I’m telling this because it was too late for me, I needed mental health, someone who would see the darkness inside me that I was struggling with.”
Gaga hopes that such an initiative for trade union members will be put in place and wants to make a financial contribution to this.