I wanted to talk about Lady Gaga, especially as she just won A LOT of awards this season. She has battled depression since she was a young girl. The purpose of the forum this month is to share the stories of people who we see in the media and demonstrate how widespread mental illness is, but I want to dedicate this post specifically to how Lady Gaga has expelled myths in some of her interviews regarding this topic.
1. She said, "I often felt lonely and depressed when I was growing up. It had nothing to do with my parents—it’s just my brain chemistry." It is widely accepted that depression has to have a specific trigger. While this is true in some cases, the root cause of depression is a chemical imbalance in one's brain.
2. She also noted, “I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day." Mental illness doesn't " just go away." It can be managed with therapy and medication, depending on how someone wants to go through treatment. It is a lifelong struggle, not a once off event.
#2, in my opinion, is very important as having self-control over mental well-being is what one needs the most. Although depression is an illness, it can't be cured -- however, with celebrities that are opening up, social stigma decreases and mental illnesses aren't regarded negatively.
I absolutely love how all of these celebrities are becoming more open about depression and other mental illnesses. I think this transparency is creating a social environment which moves away from depression being a taboo topic and one which is stigmatised.
# 1 is also something that people further need to realize and understand. It's often assumed that only certain events and situations in one's life lead to depression or social anxiety, but it's interesting and important to realize that chemical imbalances in the brain may indeed be another cause -- an emphasis on #2 which illustrates that depression is not something that can just go away, perhaps after removing the triggers that are believed to cause the illness. Lady Gaga, regardless, is an inspiration to many, including me, and an example of a person who is able to accept her reality and not let it stop her from achieving her dream, including being nominated and winning her first Oscar award just last month for her song 'Shallow' which I absolutely love! Congratulations Gaga!
#2 is so important, and not something that enough people realize! Although depression is an illness, it can't be 'cured,' which is part of what makes it so dastardly.