Lady Gaga discusses drug use during 'A Star Is Born' reflecting on psychotic break

Lady Gaga has spoken in detail about her mental health during the period in which she filmed A Star Is Born, revealing that she was taking lithium at the time and later experienced what she described as a psychotic break. The comments appear in her new Rolling Stone cover story, published on Thursday.

Gaga explained that lithium was prescribed to help manage and prevent episodes of mania during production of the Oscar-nominated film. After filming concluded, she continued working intensely as she launched the Joanne world tour. She said the pressure and pace culminated in a serious mental health crisis.

“There was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister anymore,’” she told the publication. She added that she subsequently cancelled the tour. “There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care. I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything … I completely crashed. It was really scary. There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better.… I feel really lucky to be alive.”

At the time, Gaga was balancing multiple high-profile commitments, including her performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show and the release of her Joanne album. Her press commitments for A Star Is Born extended through to the 2019 Oscars, where she won best original song for “Shallow”.

She said that life has since stabilised, crediting her relationship with fiancé Michael Polansky for supporting her wellbeing. “Being in love with someone that cares about the real me made a very big difference,” she said.

Gaga also reflected on the reception to Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix. The 2024 film struggled critically and commercially, and Gaga said she channelled the surrounding negativity into her “Disease” music video, part of her Mayhem album era.

Going into the 2026 Grammys, Gaga holds seven nominations, including album of the year for Mayhem and recognition for her single “Abracadabra”.