Lagos is hard on the mind. The noise, the traffic, the money and the distance from family wear on people, and many arrive carrying more than luggage. Help exists; it is just not always easy to find, and the stigma is still real.
If someone is in danger now
If you or someone near you is at immediate risk, call the emergency services and do not leave the person alone.
Who does what
- A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They diagnose, prescribe medication and admit to hospital if needed.
- A clinical psychologist assesses and provides talking therapy, but does not prescribe.
- A counsellor or therapist provides talking therapy. The titles are not tightly regulated, so ask about training and registration before you start.
Public hospitals
- The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, is the city’s specialist psychiatric hospital, with outpatient clinics as well as wards.
- LUTH, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and LASUTH, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, have psychiatry departments.
Public care costs far less than private, and the waits are longer. A referral from a general practitioner or a general hospital helps.
Private care and online therapy
Private psychiatrists and psychologists practise across the mainland and the Island, and a growing number of services offer therapy by video or phone, which removes the traffic from the equation. Ask what a session costs, how long it lasts and how many you are likely to need before you book.
Does insurance cover it?
Often not, or not much. Many HMO plans exclude mental health care or cap it tightly. Read the exclusions in your plan, and ask your HMO directly what it will pay for — in writing.
The law
The National Mental Health Act 2021, signed in 2023, replaced the Lunacy Act of 1958, a colonial law that had governed mental illness in Nigeria for more than sixty years. It sets out the rights of people receiving care, including against being detained or treated without due process.
Looking after yourself, and others
Talk to someone you trust. Keep sleep, food and exercise as steady as Lagos allows. If a friend withdraws, stops coming out, or talks about not wanting to be here, ask them directly and help them find care — asking does not put the idea in their head.