Jaleesa M. Jones

USA TODAY

Lady Gaga opened up about one of her "deepest secrets" on NBC's Today.

On Monday, the morning program premiered a video with the Joanne artist on her recent trip to New York's Ali Forney Center, a homeless shelter for LGBT youth. During the visit, Gaga exchanged stories with the center's residents, donated clothing and other essentials, performed a selection of hits and revealed she has post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness — I suffer from PTSD," the singer-songwriter, who in December 2014 shared that she was raped at age 19, told Today during a one-on-one interview. "I've never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that's been shown to me by doctors — as well as my family and my friends — it's really saved my life."

While the revelation marked the first time the artist has spoken about her PTSD, Gaga has been vocal about her struggle with other mental illnesses. "I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day," she said in an October 2015 feature for Billboard.

Gaga told Today she hoped that sharing her trauma would empower the teens to open up about their personal struggles — and at least one resident did, telling the entertainer that he listened to her Born This Way album repeatedly after his family rejected him for being gay.

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After having one-on-one discussions with some of the teens, Gaga led a meditation circle, sharing: "Meditation helps me to calm down. I don’t have the same kinds of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness, and I struggle with that mental illness every day. I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed. You are brave. You are courageous."

"Thank you for sharing your stories, trauma (and) pain with me (and) the world today," Gaga later wrote on Twitter after her visit. "Your kindness is contagious."

Gaga also promoted the #ShareKindness Experience, which her Born This Way Foundation launched in partnership with Today. Staged at 30 Rockefeller Center, the pop-up activation invites visitors to engage in various activities, such as taking pledges to fight cyberbullying and donating to charitable organizations such as the Ali Forney Center, Kids Food Basket, Food Bank of South Jersey and the YMCA.