Lady Gaga Recounts Terrifying Mental Health Collapse During Joanne World Tour
Pop icon Lady Gaga openly shared in a recent interview that she sought hospital treatment for a mental health emergency while on her Joanne World Tour, which ran from 2017 to 2018.
“One particular day, I was admitted to the hospital for psychiatric support,” the 39-year-old artist disclosed in a Rolling Stone feature, released on Thursday, November 13. “I had to step back. I was utterly incapacitated. … I experienced a total collapse. It was truly terrifying.”
Gaga, whose birth name is Stefani Germanotta, conveyed that her condition at that period was so severe she “believed [she] might never recover.”
“I consider myself incredibly fortunate to still be here,” she continued. “I realize that may seem exaggerated, but we understand the potential outcomes of such situations.”
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Eventually, Gaga called off the last 10 performances of her tour because of fibromyalgia, a “chronic condition characterized by pervasive body pain,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
“On a specific day, my sister [Natali Germanotta] told me, ‘I no longer recognize my sister,'” the artist, known for hits like “Abracadabra,” recounted to the publication. “That’s when I halted the tour.”
Nevertheless, Gaga admitted that her mental state began deteriorating significantly prior to the Joanne World Tour.
“My work on A Star Is Born was done while I was taking lithium,” she informed Rolling Stone, referring to the psychiatric drug commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder and severe depression. (The film, released in 2018, was shot in 2017.)
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Currently, Gaga's dosage of antipsychotic medications is reduced.
“I am still on some, yes, but not as large a quantity,” she disclosed. “I gradually discontinued many of them.”
Gaga attributes her emergence from a period of despair to her fiancé, Michael Polansky.
“Being deeply loved by someone who cherishes my authentic self had a profound impact,” she explained to the publication, describing herself as a “healthy, complete individual” today.
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The pair became engaged last year, though they first met in 2019, at a time when she was still contending with her mental health struggles.
“I was consuming three packs of cigarettes daily, spending my whole day on the porch,” she recollected. “[In public] I appeared as functional as someone who indulged in cannabis constantly, drank several bottles of wine, and then collapsed.”
Polansky, 42, confessed to Rolling Stone that he grew concerned about Gaga even after their brief acquaintance.
“What consistently struck me was her sense of powerlessness. She didn't feel in control of her own existence,” he stated. “I had never encountered someone so extraordinarily talented and brilliant who felt so utterly disempowered.”
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Gaga interjected, “He perceived someone who felt profoundly disconnected from their true purpose. He desired to look after me. And I had never experienced that kind of love before. My life was significant to him; it wasn't just a casual affair. He assisted me in realizing the value of my own life.”
During the same discussion, the couple revealed their intentions to wed either during or following Gaga’s current tour, The Mayhem Ball.
“It’s a constant topic of conversation for us,” Polansky, a venture capitalist, remarked. “We encounter these pauses in our schedule, and they’re enticing. We think, ‘Could we tie the knot that weekend?’ We’re not looking for a lavish ceremony, but we wish to savor the moment. In many respects, we already consider ourselves married, so it won&t drastically alter things.”
However, one aspect will evolve? “Becoming a mother is my deepest desire,” Gaga stated. “And he will be an exceptional father. We are genuinely thrilled about that prospect.”
