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Reading time: 14 minutes
The Silent Crisis: Why Nigerians Hide Their Mental Health Struggles
By Samson Ese | November 17, 2025
Last year, Tunde, a 34-year-old relationship manager at a Tier-1 bank on the Island, sent a WhatsApp voice note to his younger sister at 2:17 a.m. “I’m tired. I just want to sleep and not wake up,” he whispered. The next morning, his colleagues found him hanging in his Lekki Phase 1 apartment. He had never told anyone he was battling depression.
Tunde’s story is not rare. From the danfo driver in Oshodi who drinks ogogoro to “calm his head” to the undergraduate in UNILAG hostels crying herself to sleep every night, millions of Nigerians are carrying invisible wounds. Yet we speak about football, politics, and juju — but never the darkness eating us from inside.
In 2025, the silence is no longer just cultural. It is deadly.
This article is not another foreign-style “self-care” sermon. It is a raw, Nigerian conversation about why we would rather die than admit we are not okay — and why that has to change right now.
7 Deep-Rooted Reasons Nigerians Keep Quiet About Mental Health
1. “E dey your head” — The Spiritual Explanation Trap
When a Nigerian says they feel empty inside, the first response is usually: “It’s village people” or “You need deliverance.” Pastors spray anointing oil, alfas read ruqyah, native doctors tie red cloth. The sufferer spends money and hope chasing demons that live only in their mind. By the time they realise it’s clinical depression, it may be too late.
2. “Man no suppose weak” — Toxic Masculinity on Steroids
A real man provides, protects, and never cries. So when the pressure of bills, layoffs, and family responsibilities crushes him, he drinks, womanises, or becomes violent — anything but admit he needs help.
3. Fear of Being Labelled “Mad”
In Nigeria, mental illness = madness = Yaba Left. Once the label sticks, marriage prospects vanish, jobs are lost, even church members start avoiding you. So people hide symptoms until they break completely.
4. Poverty and Survival Mode
When you’re hustling three jobs to pay NEPA bill and school fees, therapy feels like luxury. “How can I spend ₦50,000 per session when my children haven’t eaten?” Survival trumps healing every time.
5. Family and Community Pressure
Admitting depression brings shame on the entire family. Aunties will gossip: “Wetin dey worry am sef? Person wey get work and fine face.” So you wear a fake smile at every owambe while dying inside.
6. Religious Toxic Positivity
“Just pray about it.” “Give offering, e go clear.” “You don’t have enough faith.” These statements, meant to comfort, end up making people feel their pain is punishment for weak belief.
7. Zero Access to Affordable Care
Nigeria has roughly 250 psychiatrists for 220 million people. Most are in Lagos and Abuja, charging ₦40,000–₦120,000 per session. For the average Nigerian earning ₦70,000 monthly, therapy is mathematically impossible.
The Heavy Price We Are Already Paying
Suicide rates have quietly tripled since 2020, according to informal data from coroners and NGOs. Domestic violence, alcohol addiction, and “sudden” heart attacks in 30-somethings are often undiagnosed mental health crises exploding outward.
Productivity is bleeding: employees show up physically but are emotionally absent. Marriages collapse under the weight of unspoken pain. Children grow up thinking screaming and suffering in silence are normal.
How Nigerians Can Start Talking in 2025 (Realistic Steps)
Create Safe Spaces in Everyday Places
Barbershops, salons, danfo buses, WhatsApp groups — these are our real therapy rooms. Train barbers and drivers to recognise signs and respond with “I dey here if you wan talk” instead of mockery.
Use Language That Works for Us
Forget “mental health awareness.” Say: “How to stop worrying yourself to death.” “Ways to sleep well when money no dey.” Nigerians respond to practical, shame-free framing.
Leverage Churches and Mosques
70% of Nigerians attend religious gatherings weekly. Train pastors and imams to stop calling depression “demons” and start referring people to professionals. Some Redeemed and Winners parishes have already started — it works.
Free or Low-Cost Platforms That Exist Right Now
- Mentally Aware Nigeria (MANI) – free online counselling
- She Writes Woman – free helpline 0800 729 7623
- Love, Peace & Harmony (LPH) – ₦5,000–₦15,000 sessions
- Surulere Baptist Church free clinic every Saturday
Normalise Corporate Wellness
Forward-thinking companies like Flutterwave, Andela, and PiggyVest now offer therapy allowances. Employees must use them without stigma.
Key Takeaways
- Mental health struggles in Nigeria are not spiritual attacks — they are human responses to extreme pressure.
- Silence is killing us faster than the illness itself.
- We don’t need more awareness seminars; we need safe, affordable, shame-free places to talk.
- Starting the conversation with one trusted person can save a life — maybe yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is depression really a Nigerian problem or just oyinbo people?
WHO says 7 million Nigerians suffer clinical depression. Suicide is now among top causes of death for ages 15–39. It is very Nigerian.
How do I help a friend who says “I’m tired of living”?
Don’t argue or preach. Listen quietly, then gently suggest they speak to MANI (08000MANI) or accompany them to a pastor/doctor they trust.
Can prayer alone cure mental illness?
Prayer brings peace, but clinical depression often needs therapy and sometimes medication, just like diabetes needs insulin.
How much does therapy cost in Nigeria 2025?
Private: ₦40,000–₦120,000 per session. Low-cost/NGO options: free to ₦15,000. Some employers now subsidise.
Call to Action
Today, send this article to one person you suspect is struggling. Add a simple message: “I saw this and thought of you. I dey here if you wan talk.” That small act could save a life.
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