Lady Gaga’s mother Cynthia Germanotta is aiming to raise mental health awareness because she believes that it is as important as our physical health.
Germanotta told Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business, “Just because you can’t see it, [mental illness] it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. One in four people have it.”
She added, “We struggle to talk about it openly or offer adequate care or resources. Within families and communities, we often remain silenced by shame that tells us that those with mental illness are somewhat less worthy or at fault for their own suffering.”
In 2012, Lady Gaga, in association with her mother, established Born This Way Foundation with a mission to create a kinder and braver world.
Germanotta said, “At Born This Way Foundation, it started because of the struggles that my daughter experienced growing up that led to her developing anxiety and depression at a very, very early age. Her motivation and ours is to better equip young people to deal with these struggles than she was able to as a young woman growing up.”
The movie ‘A Star Is Born,’ which starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, has been a great success. In February, Lady Gaga took home three Grammy’s and devoted her winning speech to raise mental health awareness.
Germanotta mentioned, “It’s a beautiful moment and a beautiful time for her and so to see that as a mom and as a parent, it’s wonderful. Interestingly enough there are so many themes in the film related to mental health issues, to substance abuse, that really overlay our work. That was very important for her to convey that, and the realities of that.”
When asked about the secret behind Lady Gaga’s modesty and humbleness, Germanotta said, “She attributes this to many things, but especially to a wonderful support team around her.”
“We at the Born This Way Foundation call it the adult scaffolding. She has a wonderful support system around her, not only with her team, but also with other extended staff that she’s with and that support her on a daily basis,” said Germanotta. “Our family is very much a unit and she does a lot of self-care as well for herself, to take care of herself so that she can be there for others.”
The month of May has been commemorated as “Mental Health Month” in the United States since 1949. The theme for 2019 Mental Health Month is Fitness #4Mind4Body, which means that health is an all-encompassing matter and it is important to take care of our minds just as we take care of our bodies.
