It hasn’t been the best few years for everybody’s mental wellbeing. With the prevalence of social media contributing to depression and anxiety, as well as the increasing pressures surrounding body image and job security, it’s no wonder a lot of us don’t feel like sunshine. And with one in four people now experiencing some kind of mental health problem each year, there’s never been a better time to raise awareness, erase stigma and do something about it.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Lady Gaga has said that many of her young fans suffer with depression, which she believes is partly down to post-digital anxieties and feeling increasingly disconnected. She also opened up about her own struggles with the illness. “There is something in the way that we are now, with our cell phones and people are not looking at each other and not being in the moment with each other, that kids feel isolated. They read all of this extremely hateful language on the Internet. The Internet is a toilet. It is. It used to be a fantastic resource – but you have to sort through shit to find the good stuff." 

“These kids just want to feel human, but they feel like robots. They don’t understand why they’re so sad. There are scientific reasons, which the (Born This Way) Foundation researches, why you feel sad when you look at your phone all day.”

“I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day. I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human.”

Click here to find out more about Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.