Young Nigerians are tackling the stigma of mental health
Elizabeth Ita had her first encounter with depression when she was 12 years old. After her beloved father died in their hometown of Calabar in southern Nigeria, she had no one to talk to about her grief – or the difficulties that quickly followed. “Nothing could have prepared me for that loss,” she says. “I felt overwhelmed, sad, guilty, and angry.”
Living her teenage years under a dark cloud, Ms. Ita was among the one-third of Nigerians who have mental health challenges. But even if Ms. Ita or her family had wanted to seek professional help, access to such resources is scarce – just 300 psychiatrists serve Nigeria’s 206 million citizens.
Feeling lost
