Lady GaGa has penned an emotionally-charged essay on mental health and suicide, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, in the hope that she can help spark a “new movement”.

In an opinion piece published in The Guardian late on Tuesday (October 9th), co-written with the director-general for the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the pop singer called for “governments and industry to put mental health at the top of their agendas”.

“Suicide is the most extreme and visible symptom of the larger mental health emergency we are so far failing to adequately address,” the essay read. “Stigma, fear and lack of understanding compound the suffering of those affected and prevent the bold action that is so desperately needed and so long overdue.”

Lady GagaLady Gaga penned an essay for Mental Health Awareness Week

“Yet despite the universality of the issue, we struggle to talk about it openly or to offer adequate care or resources,” Gaga continued. “Within families and communities, we often remain silenced by a shame that tells us that those with mental illness are somehow less worthy or at fault for their own suffering.”

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The essay used the examples of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain – two high-profile people who tragically took their own lives in 2018 – and paid tribute to them by saying: “They are all sons or daughters, friends or colleagues, valued members of families and communities.”

Gaga, who is currently appearing in the newly released film A Star Is Born alongside Bradley Cooper, spoke openly about her struggles with PTSD to Vogue in an interview in September this year.

In the essay, she also pointed to long-standing statistics that demonstrate investment in mental health services more than pays for itself, as workers get back on their feet quicker.

“Research shows there is a fourfold return on investment for every dollar spent on treating depression and anxiety, the most common mental health conditions.”

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