Stress Crisis Looms in Nigeria’s Newsrooms as Psychiatrist Warns Journalists of Rising Mental Health Risks
A Consultant Psychiatrist at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Shehu, has issued a firm caution over what he described as the fast-accelerating threat of stress and mental health disorders within the journalism profession, both in Nigeria and globally. The concern, obtained by PulseNets, highlights a growing crisis that continues to push reporters toward emotional exhaustion, trauma, and long-term psychological decline.
Dr. Shehu delivered the warning while presenting a paper titled “Pressure Amid Deadline: Psychiatric/Mental Health Precautions” at the 2025 Retreat of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He explained that the rapid, high-pressure demands of modern newsrooms have left many journalists facing chronic stress, untreated depression, recurring trauma, and other severe mental health challenges.
In his words, “Journalists are consistently stretched, working under immense pressure to beat deadlines, chase exclusives, and keep up with the news storm.”
He then added a striking illustration, stressing that “Stress is everywhere—what can we do? The only place completely free from stress is the graveyard.”
PulseNets learnt that Dr. Shehu emphasised how field reporters are frequently exposed to tragic, violent, or distressing scenes, the kind often witnessed by soldiers and emergency workers. Such repeated encounters, he warned, quietly erode emotional stability and heighten journalists’ vulnerability to trauma-related illnesses.
He cautioned that without deliberate efforts to prioritise psychological wellbeing, the media industry risks losing more of its workforce to depression, suicide, and undiagnosed mental health conditions.
Also Read: Bottled up emotions: Nigerian men battle depression amid economic hardship — Psychiatrist
The psychiatrist urged journalists to seek medical and emotional support whenever they feel overwhelmed, adopt healthier work routines, identify early symptoms of stress, and make adequate rest and sleep non-negotiable parts of their professional lifestyle.
PulseNets also learnt that he shared real-life accounts of journalists who died by suicide or battled untreated depression, underscoring the urgent need to treat mental health with the same seriousness as physical health.
