{"id":426379,"date":"2026-01-20T22:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/426379\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T22:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:26:09","slug":"there-is-a-way-out-of-the-darkness-majella-finds-hope-after-psychiatric-hospital-stay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/426379\/","title":{"rendered":"‘There is a way out of the darkness’ – Majella finds hope after psychiatric hospital stay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mental health advocate Majella O\u2019Donnell has urged people never to hesitate to tell others when they need help.<\/p>\n

Having lived with depression since her late teens and being on medication since her mid-30s, Majella said she had always managed to pull herself out of difficult periods.<\/p>\n

However, in 2024, things became overwhelming, and on advice from her GP, she entered inpatient care at a psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n

Majella has opened up about the turning point she had during that 10 week stay, which came at her lowest time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just went back to that dark old place again and I could not get out of it,\u201d Majella told Oliver Callan on RTE Radio 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt I\u2019d had enough of this, I can\u2019t do this anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Majella said she felt exhausted and emotionally shut down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just sitting in a corner of the room, dead inside almost,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt this time, I give up, and I relinquish myself to the professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was Majella\u2019s first time being hospitalised for clinical depression, and it took her several weeks before she felt able to reconnect with those closest to her, including her husband Daniel and her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was completely burnt out when I went in. I don\u2019t think I spoke to Daniel or my daughter or anybody for five weeks when I went in because I had nothing to say at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The reason, she said, was being unable to answer the \u2018how are you\u2019 question.<\/p>\n

Majella is now thankfully in a better place with her mental health, but shares an important message about one the most difficult aspects of depression \u2013 how quickly it can erase memories of better times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been grand now since I came out,\u201d she said. \u201cTwo or three years could pass, and when you go down into that dark hole again it doesn\u2019t feel like you\u2019ve had good years, you feel \u2018Oh my God, I\u2019m back in this place again\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the experience was extremely difficult, Majella believes it was something she needed to do.<\/p>\n

Now on different medication and focusing on maintaining her wellbeing, Majella is an advocate for balancing coping mechanisms with professional help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a tough time, but it needed to be done. I won\u2019t say it will never happen again because you live with it, it never goes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll you can do is keep hoping and trying to stay positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Majella\u2019s message to others is to never struggle in silence. Seek help when you need it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can try on your own, lots of times you can cope with it, but the last time I couldn\u2019t cope with it anymore. It\u2019s always good to go and speak to the doctor and tell them how you\u2019re feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell will be appearing on High Road, Low Road today, Tuesday at 7pm on RT\u00c9 One and RT\u00c9 Player.<\/p>\n

If you need support, help is available from a wide range of agencies:
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Connecting for Life<\/p>\n

\u2018There is a way out of the darkness\u2019 \u2013 Majella finds hope after psychiatric hospital stay was last modified: January 20th, 2026 by Staff Writer<\/p>\n

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