Lady Gaga Reveals She Suffers from PTSD Since Being Raped

Lady Gaga has revealed she has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since being raped at the age of 19.

The pop star talked about her mental illness during a visit to a homeless shelter for young LGBT people last month.

In a TV interview about the visit, Lady Gaga said: “I suffer from a mental illness – I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before.”

The 30-year-old singer first spoke publicly about the rape two years ago.

Lady Gaga has since admitted she blamed herself and did not tell anyone about it for seven years.

Image source Wikimedia

She made the revelation during an interview with the Today Show, which was broadcast on NBC on December 5.

It is the first time Lady Gaga has talked about having PTSD.

During her visit to the Ali Forney Centre in New York, Lady Gaga told the homeless LGBT teenagers that her trauma helped her understand others.

She said: “The kindness that’s been shown to me, by doctors as well as my family and my friends, it’s really saved my life.”

“Meditation helps me to calm down,” the singer said, adding that she was struggling with her mental illness “every day”.

The pop star brought presents to the teenagers at the center.

Lady Gaga later tweeted: “Today I shared one my deepest secrets w/ the world. Secrets keep you sick w/ shame.”

A tearful young person from the center she visited said: “Lady Gaga’s act of kindness today was a reminder that love still exists – and that there’s still some for me.”

On social media, Lady Gaga’s fans opened up with their own experiences in response.

She is one of the world’s most successful contemporary artists, with a string of hits across her first five albums. Her sixth album, Joanne, was released two months ago.

Lady Gaga has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ community; campaigning for Hillary Clinton during the election and protesting outside Trump Tower when the results were announced.