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Uncovering Depresssion In Nigeria

By Njideka Agbo
23 June 2018   |   10:00 am
From the times of Mesopotamia to Babylon to ancient China, depression has been treated as a spiritual attack. This ideology is, however, not peculiar to the West. Until recently, to be depressed in Nigeria meant that one had been exposed to the “white man’s illness” hence the need to undergo rituals to wade it off.…

From the times of Mesopotamia to Babylon to ancient China, depression has been treated as a spiritual attack. This ideology is, however, not peculiar to the West.

Until recently, to be depressed in Nigeria meant that one had been exposed to the “white man’s illness” hence the need to undergo rituals to wade it off. As a result, Nigerians were driven by the fear of being labelled crazy or under attack.

The many sides of Depression image. Photo: Wmag Finance

In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) ranked Nigeria as the nation with the highest number of depression sufferers in Africa. It also rated depression as the second leading cause of suicide among 15 to 29-year-olds in 2014.

Despite the alarming increase, Nigeria continues to experience a paucity of psychologists and psychiatrists.

To read more, grab a copy of the Guardian Life Magazine on Sunday as we uncover depression in Nigeria.

Tip: It is in the Guardian Newspaper

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