Ahead of of World Mental Health Day, which takes place on October 10, Lady Gaga teamed up with the World Health Organization for an op-ed in The Guardian about the lack of reliable mental health support services around the world and the need to stop stigmatizing treatable conditions.
"Suicide is the most extreme and visible symptom of the larger mental health emergency we are so far failing to adequately address," Gaga and director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom, write in the essay, entitled "800,000 People Kill Themselves Every Year. What Can We Do?"
"Suicide is the most extreme and visible symptom of the larger mental health emergency we are so far failing to adequately address," They continue. "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."
Click here to read the full essay.
In June, not long after the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, Lady Gaga opened up about some of her own mental health struggle, appearing alongside her mother at the Children Mending Hearts' Empathy Rocks fundraiser.
"I can't remain silent any longer. The passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain has made me want to speak up about my mental illness," she said at the time. "I have been experiencing suicidal ideation and cyclical obsessive suicidal thoughts for the past four years."
She continued: "I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues or my mental illness. But, I truly believe that secrets keep you sick."
World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10 every year to raise awareness on mental health issues around the world. This year, the theme is "Young people and mental health in a changing world," a vital concern given that approximately 1 in 5 adolescents experience mental and behavioural problems in any given year.
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