The Ireland AM presenter says she will likely be on antidepressants for the rest of her life
15:04, 10 Nov 2026Updated 15:07, 10 Nov 2026
Elaine Crowley on Ireland AM
Elaine Crowley has opened up about her journey with mental health, saying it was ‘no surprise’ when she was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder.
The much-loved Ireland AM presenter, 49, has never shied away from talking about mental health. Her mother used to say that there was a touch of ‘melancholy’ about her.
After experiencing bouts of depression when she was younger, both as a teenager and as a young adult, Elaine was diagnosed with dysphoria, meaning she can be in profound states of deep unease, dissatisfaction, and emotional distress, and with a major depressive disorder.
The diagnoses came as no surprise to Elaine, who now takes antidepressants, which she says she will likely be on for the rest of her life. When she recognises she’s on a slippery slope, she starts practising self-care.
“I know I’ll be in for a bumpy few months unless I address things right away, so that’s what I do. I get out into the fresh air. I do old-fashioned things like eat proper food, meet friends, walk in nature. They’re the things that help me. But sometimes, the way modern life has gone, these basics are impossible and become a luxury instead for a lot of people,” she explained.
She added that she still finds life quite difficult occasionally and makes a ‘concerted effort’ to prevent herself from falling into a deep hole. Depression affects everyone differently, but for Elaine, she says she knows it is creeping in once she starts to feel numb.
“A lot of people think depression is crying morning, noon, and night, and for some people it is, but depression can also mean feeling nothing. It can mean being numb. It feels grey. I start to feel no joy, no pleasure, no sadness, no nothing.
“When that happens, I know what I must do to combat that. This time of year, when the clocks go back, the lightbox is coming out of the press. I need more natural light, and I need to exercise more to stop me from going into that slump,” she told You Magazine.
Elaine previously spoke about her mental health to RSVP Magazine, saying she has learned to accept the good days with the bad days.
“I have a major depressive disorder. It’s something I will have all my life. It will never go away fully, and I’m aware of that. And to be content, I have to accept that. You have to accept that you’re going to have bad days, and bad months and good months. That is the way it works.”
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