Lady Gaga has never shied away from discussing her struggles with mental health, but in a recent interview, 

she made a deeply personal revelation about a period of psychosis that profoundly affected her life. 

While promoting her latest album, Mayhem, the 38-year-old pop icon shared that she went through a harrowing experience with psychosis five years ago, 

during which she felt disconnected from reality.

Speaking on The New York Times podcast The Interview, Gaga reflected on that dark time, admitting, “I was not deeply in touch with reality for a while.” 

She described the experience as something that significantly impacted her life, requiring years of hard work and healing to regain her sense of self.

For the Poker Face singer, the persona of “Lady Gaga” has always been an extension of her artistry, but it also contributed to her struggle. She acknowledged that embodying different characters for her performances made it difficult to stay fully grounded in reality. “I had to figure out a way to integrate myself fully with my stage persona and kind of inhabit Lady Gaga’s boss energy in my everyday life but in an empowered way,” she explained.

Gaga noted that her stage presence is fueled by intensity, ferocity, and a commanding energy, which sometimes felt at odds with her offstage personality. “I’d like to think that I’m a kind person, but there’s a ferociousness and a hardness and an intensity that I have onstage as a performer. So I had to learn how to hold those two things and have them not be at war with each other,” she said. Over time, she learned how to maintain balance, no longer feeling the need to seek chaos or live on the edge. “I used to like more chaos, just living life on the edge constantly. I’m now proud to be much more boring,” she admitted.

While many in the entertainment industry emphasize “authenticity,” Gaga believes it is a subjective concept. She asserted that her past self was still authentic, even if she was frequently shifting between different personalities. “I was authentic before. That was authentically me. I just was authentically splitting off into different personalities all the time,” she explained. Now, she feels she has reached a place where she is the same person in private as she is in public, making her authenticity feel more consistent.

Gaga has previously been open about the trauma she endured at a young age, revealing in 2021 that she suffered from a “psychotic break” and post-traumatic stress disorder after being raped by a music producer at just 19 years old. Reflecting on the industry’s lack of safeguards for young artists, she expressed concern over the vulnerability of young women entering the music business. “There are no laws around who can be a producer, and they’re not vetted by anyone,” she stated. She highlighted how teenage artists are often left unprotected in unfamiliar studio environments, with little oversight or support. “When you’re 17 years old and you are invited into a studio, you have no protection. You don’t know where you’re going. You may not even have an adult in the room with you other than the person that you’re working with. It’s not the safest industry.”

Through her personal journey of healing, Gaga credited her fiancé, Michael Polansky, for being a crucial source of support. The couple, who have been together since 2019, formed a strong bond during a pivotal time in her life. She recalled an early conversation with Polansky in which he gently pointed out that she could be happier than she was. “It was really hard for me to hear him say that because I didn’t want him to think that of me,” she said. She admitted struggling with the idea of being defined by her past mental health battles, but over time, she realized that there was no shame in what she had gone through. “I hate feeling defined by it. It felt like something I felt ashamed of,” she shared. However, she now believes that no one should feel ashamed for experiencing mental health challenges.

As someone who has navigated intense struggles, Gaga wants others to know that there is hope. “I mostly just wish to say, it can get better. It did for me, and I’m grateful for that,” she said, offering encouragement to those who may be going through similar experiences.

Looking toward the future, Gaga is embracing a new chapter in her life—motherhood. “I’m excited to be a mom. I used to have a lot of apprehension about it,” she admitted. However, she is determined to raise her children in a way that allows them to make their own choices. “The thing that’s the most important to me is to not force my children to live a life that they are not choosing,” she said. She believes in giving them space to discover their own identities rather than shaping them based on expectations.

Lady Gaga’s candid revelations about her struggles with psychosis, trauma, and personal growth highlight her resilience and ongoing commitment to mental health awareness. By sharing her journey, she continues to inspire others to seek healing, embrace their truth, and find strength in vulnerability.

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