Majella O’Donnell has opened up about her mental health struggles and how she was hospitalised for 10 weeks in 2024 due to depression, saying she was ‘completely burnt out’
Daniel O’Donnell and Majella O’Donnell have been married for more than 20 years(Image: Phillip Massey/Getty Images)
Majella O’Donnell has revealed that she spent 10 weeks in hospital receiving treatment for mental health issued .
Majella, married to country music icon Daniel O’Donnell, described how she “relinquished” herself to medical professionals during her stay in a psychiatric facility.
She has lived with depression since her late teens and has been taking anti-depressants since her mid 30s.
Majella explained that whilst depression is a constant presence, she can usually pull herself “out of a rut” but sadly found herself back in “that dark old place” in 2024.
“I just felt I’ve had enough of this. I can’t do this anymore. I really can’t. I’m just tired of it,” she told Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1.
Daniel O’Donnell with wife Majella(Image: Facebook)
“My GP suggested I go into a psychiatric hospital, and I did. I went in there for 10 weeks and it really straightened me out.
“They changed all my medication. Obviously, you do a lot of therapy, and you go to mind development things that you do, and all sorts of things when you’re in there.
“It was very good, but I was completely burnt out when I went in.
“I mean, I don’t think I spoke to Daniel or my daughter or anybody for about five weeks when I went in. I could not even talk because I had nothing to say at all.”
This marked the first occasion Majella required hospitalisation for her depression, and she admitted feeling terrified.
Daniel O’Donnell and wife Majella(Image: Facebook)
She added: “When I went in the first day, when I was sort of waiting in reception, if you like, I started saying: ‘I can’t do this. I can’t do this. No, I want to go home. I can’t stay here.’
“The nurses came out and they were really, really nice and really calmed me down. I didn’t come out of the room for about three or four days.”
Majella found it difficult to connect with her family, including husband Daniel, whilst in hospital, and it took five weeks before she felt able to contact them, reports RSVP Live.
She revealed: “I sent a text and I explained everything. I just said, ‘I’ve nothing to say. I’m just lost. Please give me the time. I love you all very much. I’ll be back in contact with you when I feel able’.”
Following her hospital treatment and medication adjustments, Majella began to recover.
She’s now encouraging others facing similar struggles to reach out for support.
She emphasised: “Every time you feel it, you talk. That’s the thing is to talk and talk could just be ‘I’m in a bad place’, even if you don’t want to go into details or anything, but just to say ‘I need help.'”
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