RTE 2FM presenter Eoghan McDermott has spoken out about his struggle with his own mental health.
The radio star is an ambassador for Pieta House, a suicide prevention charity, and when he accepted the position a while ago, decided it was important to open up about his own struggles with mental health, which really affected him six years ago.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Eoghan said, “I was in a good place in my life in terms of work. I was hosting a drive-time radio show on a famous London station, Xfm. But I had just broken up with a long-term girlfriend.
“I found it very difficult to process, and that manifested itself negatively. I went through a period of self-harming and a little spate of depression. I was a bit withdrawn in myself.”
The Dubliner opened up about going through this difficult time, and admitted that not having any home comforts as well as being in new surroundings, didn’t make things any easier.
“I was in a new place, so I wasn’t surrounded by my regular family and friends. I’d just moved city, and it was much easier to mask this stuff. I had a lot of distractions and my life was very busy and exciting.
“I enjoyed that, but it was in the quiet moments when I’d drift off somewhere else and self-harm,” he said.
The drive-time presenter said that speaking to a friend about his issues helped him battle them.
Eoghan is currently endorsing the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund which fosters talent and the well-being of young people in Ireland.
“Given my own experiences, anything that encourages a young person in a passion they have found or that improves their self-esteem is a good thing,” he said.
