Lady Gaga has revealed her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during a visit to a New York drop-in centre for homeless LGBT youth.
The US singer called in to the Ali Forney Centre in Harlem last month, sharing a photo on her Facebook account. The visit was filmed for a recently aired segment on morning news show Today.
During her time at the centre, Lady Gaga led some of the residents in a group meditation and told them she had PTSD.
“I have a mental illness and I struggle with that mental illness every day, so I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed,” she told the meditation circle.
Lady Gaga said it was the first time she had publicly shared her diagnosis.
“I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before,” she told Today.
“But the kindness that’s been shown to me by doctors as well as my family and my friends — it’s really saved my life.”
The multiple-Grammy-Award-winner revealed two years ago that she had been raped at the age of 19.
She subsequently recorded the Oscar-nominated song Til It Happens To You to accompany The Hunting Ground — a documentary on campus rape in the US.
“I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself and I’ve found that kindness is the best way,” Lady Gaga, 30, told Today.
“What’s really important to remind kids that are suffering from a traumatic experience or from abandonment [is] … that they’re not alone.”
Lady Gaga posted on Twitter after the interview aired, thanking the Ali Forney Centre residents for sharing their stories.
“Your kindness is contagious,” she wrote.
Other social media users applauded Gaga for her frank admission.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
