Ajagunna Juliana Adesewa
In a country where mental health is often stigmatized and misunderstood, anxiety and depression can feel like silent wars fought within the minds of those affected. These invisible battles can have a profound impact on individuals’ lives, yet they often remain hidden due to fear of judgment or lack of awareness. In this article, I spoke with Sola, a young Nigerian woman who suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), about her journey and how she navigates life in a country where mental health issues are often dismissed or misunderstood.
Sola’s Story: A Silent Struggle
Sola first realized she was suffering from anxiety in 2019, during her final year at university. Her mother had fallen ill, and the emotional strain became overwhelming. Isolated from friends and family, Sola retreated into herself, limiting her interactions to her mother and business partners. Her three roommates, who shared the same small room, noticed the shift, but they had no idea of the internal war raging within her. “I felt like I was drowning,” Sola recalls. “I was trapped in my own mind, but no one could see it.”
What began as emotional withdrawal soon spiraled into self-harm. Sola started pricking herself with needles, seeking a fleeting relief from the emotional pain. “It was easier to focus on physical pain because it felt more manageable than the chaos in my head,” she explains. Over time, the self-harm escalated to using blades, and thoughts of suicide slowly crept in. “I just wanted it all to stop,” she confesses. “I thought about it constantly, but I kept telling myself that I could handle it alone.”
Despite her efforts to cope alone, Sola’s condition worsened. A near-miss accident served as a wake-up call, forcing her to confront the severity of her mental health issues. One fateful afternoon, after a meeting with her business partner, Sola’s turmoil reached a breaking point. As she walked back to her hostel, she saw a car speeding toward her and, without hesitation, stepped directly into its path. “I didn’t even think twice,” she says, recounting the moment. “I just wanted to be free from the suffocating thoughts.” Luckily, the driver, a middle-aged man, swerved just in time, narrowly avoiding a tragedy. The incident left Sola shaken and with the realization that she needed help, desperately.
Finding Support and Healing
In the midst of this darkness, Sola found an unlikely lifeline in Demi, a friend who had noticed the changes in her. Demi tried to bring Sola out of her shell, organizing movie outings and ice cream dates, but Sola’s depression seemed to follow her everywhere. “It didn’t matter how hard she tried,” Sola admits. “As soon as I got home, I was back to feeling like a stranger in my own life.” However, unbeknownst to Sola, Demi had confided in her mentor, Mr. David, who took it upon himself to check in on her regularly.
The breakthrough came one evening in June. After a month of Mr David’s visits, where he asked the same routine questions, “How are you? How’s school? How’s your family?” in which Sola gave her usual one syllable responses. This time, instead of asking more questions, Mr David simply sat in silence. Sola remembers that moment vividly. “It was like he knew I had nothing left to say. He just sat there, looking at me. And for the first time, I felt like someone really saw me.” Overcome by emotion, Sola broke down in tears and finally shared the full extent of her struggles.
From that night onward, with Mr David’s and Demi’s support, Sola began her slow but steady journey to healing. However, it wasn’t until 2023, when familiar patterns of anxiety and depression re-emerged, that she sought professional help. By 2024, she was officially diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, a moment of both relief and fear. “It helped to put a name to what I was going through,” she says. “But it also scared me. I realized that this wasn’t something that would just go away on its own.”
Sola’s story is just one among many in Nigeria, where mental health issues are still often swept under the rug. The stigma attached to conditions like anxiety and depression keeps people from seeking the help they need, with devastating consequences. “I wish people understood that mental health is as real as any physical illness,” Sola reflects. “Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
Today, Sola continues to work through her challenges. She’s not yet ready to share the details of her battle from late 2023 to the present, but she emphasizes that she is healing. “I’m not where I want to be, but I’m grateful,” she says. “I’m grateful to God, to my family, and to the people who stuck by me. They didn’t give up on me, even when I wanted to give up on myself.”
Sola’s journey sheds light on the urgent need for a more compassionate and comprehensive approach to mental health in Nigeria. Depression and anxiety are silent wars fought behind closed doors, and without the proper support systems, they can claim lives. As Sola’s story illustrates, no one should have to fight these battles alone. It’s time for society to listen, to remove the stigma, and to ensure that help is available to those who need it most.
Conclusion: The Call for Change
The conversation around mental health in Nigeria is long overdue. Sola’s story is a stark reminder that anxiety and depression are not weaknesses, they are disorders that need attention, understanding, and care. It’s time to create an environment where people can seek help without fear of judgment, where stories like Sola’s are met with empathy, and where no one has to walk into traffic to feel seen.
It’s time to take mental health seriously, not just for the sake of those suffering but for the collective well-being of the nation.
