Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Shehu, a Consultant Psychiatrist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), has issued a stark warning that stress and mental health disorders are becoming major and escalating threats to journalists in Nigeria and worldwide.
Speaking 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), Shehu said the relentless pace and pressure of newsroom work expose media professionals to chronic stress, trauma, depression, and other mental health challenges.
“Journalists are stressed and always under pressure to meet deadlines and break the news,” he noted, adding pointedly: “What can we do about it? Even though stress is always around us, the only place you stay without stress is the graveyard.”
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He explained that journalists frequently encounter disturbing and tragic events, often absorbing emotional impacts that accumulate over time. According to him, reporters much like military personnel regularly work at “gory and tragic scenes,” making them particularly prone to trauma.
Shehu cautioned that without deliberate attention to mental health, the profession risks continued losses to depression, suicide, and stress-induced illnesses.
He advised journalists to seek medical or emotional help when overwhelmed, adopt healthier work habits, identify stress triggers early, and ensure adequate sleep and rest.
He also cited cases of media professionals who died by suicide or from untreated depression, stressing that psychological health must be treated as seriously as physical wellbeing.
