DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Health & Science

VIDEO: Nollywood actress Chidera Adiele cries out for help over brother’s mental health struggle

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nollywood actress Chidera Adiele has publicly appealed for help regarding her younger brother's seven-year struggle with drug addiction and mental illness.
  • Her brother has been in and out of at least seven psychiatric facilities since 2019, with his condition worsening after university admission.
  • Adiele, who has been his primary caregiver, expressed exhaustion and accused her parents of failing to take responsibility, while also prioritizing her daughter's safety.

Nollywood actress and art curator Chidera Adiele has made an urgent public appeal for assistance concerning her younger brother's prolonged battle with drug addiction and mental illness, which has spanned seven years. Adiele shared her distress in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, detailing how her brother's health issues began in 2019 after he enrolled at the University of Lagos.

He was in the psychiatric ward for three months and they recently asked me to come pick him up because they said they couldn’t keep him there indefinitely. The max they can keep a patient there is three months.

— Chidera AdieleDescribing the limitations of her brother's treatment at a psychiatric facility.

Her brother has undergone treatment at numerous facilities, including at least seven psychiatric hospitals such as New York Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, and the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital. Adiele reported that he was recently discharged from a psychiatric ward after three months, as the facility could not hold him indefinitely. He was subsequently taken to Zion Ministry for spiritual intervention, but his condition reportedly deteriorated further.

They’ve brought this drama back to me and worse is I have been his primary caregiver since all of this started. I’ve been the one taking him to all these hospitals.

— Chidera AdieleExpressing the burden of being her brother's primary caregiver.

Adiele revealed that she moved out of the family home five years ago to protect her daughter, but the family has since returned to live with her after their landlord issued a quit notice. She described herself as her brother's primary caregiver, bearing significant financial costs for his treatment without lasting results. "I'm the first child. I'm tired. I'm so tired of carrying responsibilities that I had no business carrying," she stated.

I’m the first child. I’m tired. I’m so tired of carrying responsibilities that I had no business carrying.

— Chidera AdieleVoicing her exhaustion with her caregiving role.

The actress also voiced frustration with her parents' perceived lack of involvement in her brother's care, expressing her intention to discuss her family's situation further. "I’m done being the sacrificial lamb. I’m done being the one who has to take care of everybody and nobody cares about me," she declared. Adiele highlighted her daughter's fear and her own inability to secure separate accommodation for her brother due to high rent costs in Lagos, making her daughter's safety her top priority.

I’m done being the sacrificial lamb. I’m done being the one who has to take care of everybody and nobody cares about me.

— Chidera AdieleExpressing her feelings of being overwhelmed and unsupported.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog