Lady Gaga's mother says her daughter was 'humiliated and isolated' in school

Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga's mother, on Wednesday opened up about the singer's mental health and said issues began in middle school when Gaga was "humiliated and isolated" for her uniqueness.

"Stefani (Gaga's birth name) was very unique and that wasn't always appreciated by her peers and, as a result, she went through a lot of difficult times," Cynthia Germanotta recalled the beginning of Gaga's mental health struggles in an interview with CBS This Morning.

"Humiliated, taunted, isolated. When you're a young woman, this really severely impacts you," the 65-year-old added.

The 33-year-old singer has always been a vocal advocate for mental health and so has been her mother. Germanotta says she witnessed Gaga turning from a happy and aspirational young girl to somebody with low self-esteem, reports USA Today.

"It was in middle school when I saw that turn happen- when she went from a very happy and aspirational young girl to somebody that started to question her self-worth, to have doubts about herself, and that is when we actually saw the turn," she said at "Stop the Stigma" event.

Gaga's mother admitted she didn't know what to do for her daughter's mental health and said, "I believe that we don't treat (mental health) the same way that we treat physical health. So, certainly, when it happened in our house, I didn't know what to look for."

Though Gemonatta did not know how to deal with the situation, she realised the impact the "Shallow" singer's mental issues were having on their family. She said: "It basically turns the focus of everything onto that one individual and families feel conflicted about it, they don't really understand it; it causes conflict and a lot of stress within the families."

The Born This Way Foundation president also said it led her to feel guilty for not knowing how to help her daughter. Gemonatta encouraged other parents to listen to their children when they speak about their feelings.

"What I learned from my daughter is to listen and validate her feelings. I think as parents, our natural instinct is to go into problem-solving mode, when, in fact, they really just want us to take them seriously and understand what they're saying," Gemonatta said.

The "Born This Way" singer has inspired many with her journey from a bullied child to an award-winning global superstar. She along with her mother co-founded a foundation in 2012 to help young people practice mental and emotional wellness, and named it after the same song.