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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Dan Grennan

First Dates Ireland couple connect over mental health struggles

A woman opened up on her dating struggles after she was diagnosed as autistic on First Dates Ireland last night.

Eve and Keith hit it off after they revealed they had been diagnosed with separate mental health conditions. Eve said she always felt "weird" before she was diagnosed as autistic.

Keith empathised with her experiences and said he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The kindred spirits connected over the topic on the RTE show.

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Eve said: "All throughout my 20s, I suffered from anxiety and had panic attacks all the time. A lot of people do go through that, they just don't say it.

"The worst thing is hating yourself because you feel that way. Like, what is wrong with me that I cannot leave the house?"

"Up until being diagnosed with autism, I always felt there was something really weird. It was so bizarre because obviously I come across really outgoing and really confident but I find it really hard to connect with people because I can't focus on what's going on in front of me.

"My attention is constantly being drawn away. The only time I can actually feel a bit more free is standing outside and walking."

Keith said: "I feel like I've had OCD all my life, but 2017 it started to get really bad. I would not have been able to do this back then at all.

"I was googling my symptoms - intrusive thoughts, anxiety depression - because I was just wondering what was going on. I was reading about OCD and it was like reading an article about myself.

"A weight came off my shoulders and from that point then I got an OCD therapist and changed my life completely."

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