mental health conversations are now cool again

A Lagos therapist told me: "My waiting list is now three months long. Two years ago, I had two clients." I think something is shifting. Young Nigerians are seeking help at a rate that previous generations never did. The question is whether the infrastructure can keep up.

WHO estimates that 20–30% of Nigerians will experience a mental health disorder at some point - a number I think is grossly underestimated on Monday mornings at Sabo, but that's by the way. Nigeria has approximately 250 psychiatrists for a population of over 200 million. That's one psychiatrist per 800,000 people. Even with these numbers, its crazy that health insurance in Nigeria almost never covers mental health treatment. NHIS excludes most psychiatric care as if to say don't bring that madness near us!

I'm glad there is a genuine destigmatisation happening among under-30 Nigerians. Twitter (i'm never calling it X), has played a strange but real role — public conversations about anxiety, burnout, and therapy have normalized help-seeking in ways that church aunties and "just pray about it" couldn't. I think even this platform can also help. readChief feels like a safe spot too and I hope it becomes one for many Nigerians.

Talk to someone. If you can't afford a therapist right now, that's fine. come here and pour it all out while crying and then go be a rockstar! But know what exists and where to find it.