A young Nigerian, Aishat Abdulhakeem, has shared a moving story of how academic failure and emotional struggles once pushed her to attempt suicide; and how timely access to mental health care and family support helped her rebuild her life.
Speaking at Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit, held on Friday at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Aishat recalled how her difficulties began when she repeatedly failed to gain admission into university.
“Years back, I was having issues with gaining admission into school,” she said. “First and second year, I didn’t get admission until the third year. While I finally got in, I was struggling with academics, and at some point, I got disturbed and couldn’t sleep. My eyes were always teary.”
Aishat said that after a friend suggested she visit a mental health clinic, she met Professor Taiwo Sheikh, a psychiatrist who started her on treatment.
“I was on medication for a year and a half,” she said. “Before that, I was told I was possessed by a jin. As a human anatomy student, I failed my core courses and kept trying to motivate myself.”
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Her mental state, however, worsened. “One morning, I felt better and said I should go home to see my mother,” she recalled. “Then I began hearing a voice telling me, ‘You are a failure. Go to the road and end it all.’”
It was a near-tragic moment, but help came unexpectedly. “Luckily for me, it was somewhere people knew me. One lady saw me and came to me — she saved me that day,” Aishat said.
Back home, she opened up to her mother. “I told her I was battling struggles with my academics and that I attempted to take my life,” she recounted. “My mother told me, ‘The doctor you saw that time who
made you feel better — it’s time to go back to him.’”
Shame initially held her back. “I felt I had disappointed Prof. Sheikh and didn’t seek help because I was ashamed,” she said. “But one day, he saw me by the roadside and took me back to the clinic.”
Today, Aishat says her life has changed. “I’m now a graduate with better results, and I have found
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purpose. I’m currently serving as a corps member under the NYSC,” she said proudly.
Reflecting on her experience, she emphasised the importance of awareness and access to mental health care. “I survived a suicide attempt because I had access to a mental health clinic and a listening ear from my mother,” she said. “When one person knows about mental health, it leads to more people in our community getting the right awareness. Let mental health facilities be accessible to every Nigerian in need.”
Her final message was one of hope: “Healing starts with conversations. Suicide is real, but help leads to a better life.”
