Majella O’Donnell urges people to reach out for support when feeling down

Majella O’Donnell has opened up about her battle with depression, encouraging anyone struggling with their mental health to reach out for help.

In an interview with Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1 today, Majella spoke candidly about her own personal struggles with mental health. She said that during a particularly difficult period in 2024, she had a 10-week stay in a psychiatric hospital.

Majella has spoken openly before about mental health and set up a charity called Donegal Mind Wellness to try and help people who are struggling. Having dealt with depression since she was in her late teens, Majella said she found herself in a familiar “dark place” in 2024.

“I’ve always managed to cope myself, I mean I’ve been on medication since my mid 30s but I’ve always managed to get myself out of a rut,” said Majella. “In 2024, I just went back to that dark old place again and could not get out of it.”

After reaching out to her GP, Majella was referred to a psychiatric hospital.

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“It really straightened me out,” said Majella. “They changed all my medication and obviously, you do a lot of therapy and you go to mind development things and all sorts of things when you’re in there.”

Majella said she felt “completely burnt out" when she arrived at the hospital, and didn’t communicate with any of her family for the first five weeks.

“I was just sitting in a corner of the room, dead inside almost,” she said.

While Majella feels she is in a good place now, she has come to terms with the fact that she may experience depression at different stages of her life. She encourages anyone who may be suffering with low mood or depression to reach out and share how they’re feeling.

“There is a way, and every time you feel it, you talk. That’s the thing, to just talk and to talk could just be, ‘I’m in a bad place’. Even if you don’t want to go into details, but just to say ‘I need help.’ That is really, really important, you can try on your own and lots of times you can cope with it like that, but just the last time I felt like I couldn’t cope with it anymore. It’s always good to go and speak to the doctor and tell them how you’re feeling.”

Majella also expressed her love for Donegal on the show. In particular, she highlighted Owey Island as a place where she feels grounded, saying she feels an “instant calm” when she goes there.

Daniel and Majella O’Donnell are appearing on the latest episode of High Road Low Road on RTÉ One tonight, where they will be heading to Croatia.

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The pair head to the lively city of Zadar on the Dalmatian coast, where they take in the sights and sounds of the local area, but from two very different perspectives.

From a natural mud bath to a luxury spa, and a speed boat to a bell tower, one of them will strike it lucky on the High Road, and while the other will draw the short straw on the Low Road.

High Road Low Road airs tonight at 7pm RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.