Lady Gaga Gets Real About Depression

Lady Gaga gets real about her struggles with depression and anxiety.

Transcript

00:00I have some sort of anxiety, depression, something that's changed my whole life.

00:18I take antidepressant medication for it. I have tried to get off of it.

00:23My doctor always tells me not to, that it's not safe for me to.

00:26Whenever I've tried to, I've gotten very neurotic, manic, sick.

00:31So, I have had to study all different types of ways.

00:35What helped me the most, that I want to impress upon all of you,

00:40is that I realized that part of my identity is saying no to things I don't want to do.

00:56I have had to make decisions like, why am I unhappy?

01:10Okay, Stephanie, Gaga, hybrid person, why are you unhappy?

01:17Why is it that you want to quit music a couple of years ago?

01:22I was like, well, I really don't like selling these, you know, fragrances, perfumes.

01:31I don't like wasting my time spending days just shaking people's hands and smiling and taking selfies.

01:37It feels shallow to my existence. I have a lot more to offer than my image.

01:41I don't like being used to make people money.

01:44I feel sad when I am overworked and that I've just become a money-making machine

01:53and that my passion and my creativity take a back seat that makes me unhappy.

01:57So, what did I do? I started to say no. I'm not doing that. I don't want to do that.

02:02I'm not taking that picture. I'm not going to that event.

02:05I'm not standing by that because that's not what I stand for.

02:07And slowly but surely, I remembered who I am.

02:10And then you go home and you look in the mirror and you're like, yes, I can go to bed with you every night.

02:16Because that person, I know that person.

02:18It is your right to choose what you do and don't do.

02:21It is your right to choose what you believe in and what you don't believe in.

02:24It is your right to curate your life and your own perspective.