Lady Gaga Pens Emotional Letter About Her Struggle With PTSD

Lady Gaga's struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is something we've never known about the pop superstar until her appearance on Monday's episode of the "Today" show. But now, the singer is opening up in depth about the mental illness she's been living with since her rape at 19-years-old.

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In the letter, which was posted on the official website for her Born This Way Foundation foundation, the 30-year-old star spoke in detail about her daily struggle to maintain control, so she doesn't stress over normal scenarios.

"There is a lot of shame attached to mental illness, but it’s important that you know that there is hope and a chance for recovery," she wrote. "It is a daily effort for me, even during this album cycle, to regulate my nervous system so that I don’t panic over circumstances that to many would seem like normal life situations. Examples are leaving the house or being touched by strangers who simply want to share their enthusiasm for my music."

Gaga explained that she struggles with triggers from her memories of past tours when she wasn't able to balance out her work duties and her very own needs. "I was overworked and not taken seriously when I shared my pain and concern that something was wrong. I ultimately ended up injured on the Born This Way Ball. That moment and the memory of it has changed my life forever.  The experience of performing night after night in mental and physical pain ingrained in me a trauma that I relive when I see or hear things that remind me of those days," she explained. 

Later on, the pop titan revealed that she experiences something called dissociation, which causes her to look off and stare "in a glazed over state" to prevent her from reliving that trauma.

Ultimately, Gaga said that she wants to raise awareness for this mental illness since it affects all kinds of people, including our youth. "I believe that the most inexpensive and perhaps the best medicine in the world is words. Kind words…positive words…words that help people who feel ashamed of an invisible illness to overcome their shame and feel free," she wrote.

Click here to read Gaga's letter in full.

Photo: Getty Images