Lady Gaga has opened up about how her mental health struggles made her turn to self-harm.
“I was a cutter for a long time,” the pop superstar told Oprah Winfrey in an interview published in the December issue of Elle. “And the only way that I was able to stop cutting and self-harming myself was to realize that what I was doing was trying to show people that I was in pain instead of telling them and asking for help.”
Gaga continued: “When I realized that telling someone, ‘Hey, I am having an urge to hurt myself,’ that defused it. I then had someone next to me saying, ‘You don’t have to show me. Just tell me: What are you feeling right now?’ And then I could just tell my story.”
The singer said she is grateful her self-harm days are behind her – and she doesn’t want to glamourize cutting. Gaga shared advice for those currently harming themselves.
“Ice,” she said. “If you put your hands in a bowl of ice-cold water, it shocks the nervous system, and it brings you back to reality.”
Gaga has previously spoken about her mental and physical health, including living with fibromyalgia. She told Winfrey she suffers from PTSD and chronic pain and takes methocarbamol and olanzapine.
“I’m on medication; I have several doctors. This is how I survive,” she admitted.
“I kept going, and that kid out there or even that adult out there who’s been through so much, I want them to know that they can keep going, and they can survive, and they can win their Oscar,” said Gaga.
“I would also beckon to anyone to try, when they feel ready, to ask for help. And I would beckon to others that if they see someone suffering, to approach them and say, ‘Hey, I see you. I see that you’re suffering, and I’m here. Tell me your story.’”
If you or someone you know is self-harming or struggling with mental health, click here to talk to someone.