Experts warn against mistaking immigrants’ success for mental well-being

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

Mental health experts have called for more inclusive and responsive healthcare in Nigeria, warning that outward success can conceal emotional distress among immigrants and other vulnerable groups whose lived experiences are often overlooked.

They made the call at the maiden Nigerian Mental Health Summit, held virtually on Oct. 10 to commemorate the 2026 World Mental Health Day, themed “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change”.

The experts urged policymakers, healthcare professionals and advocacy groups to incorporate the experiences of patients, caregivers and families into mental health policies and interventions.

Dr Oluyinka Oyeniji, convener of the summit, said Nigeria needed a coordinated national approach to mental healthcare that prioritised the needs and experiences of affected individuals.

He said the summit was established to bring stakeholders together to advance advocacy, research, policy development and access to appropriate mental health services.

Oyeniji described the Federal Government’s reported move to decriminalise attempted suicide as a significant development in advocacy efforts that had lasted more than 14 years.

He, however, stressed that sustained collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations, researchers and other stakeholders remained critical to improving mental healthcare delivery.

In a presentation titled “Beyond Survival: Nigerian Immigrant Mental Health—Lived Experiences, Identity and the Brain”, Kehinde Ekpudu, a registered clinical social worker based in Alberta, Canada, drew attention to the psychological difficulties Nigerian immigrants could experience despite appearing successful in their adopted countries.

Ekpudu, founder of Twin Ocean, explained that migration involved more than relocating from one country to another, as it could reshape personal identity, emotional well-being and an individual’s sense of belonging.

“When we talk about immigrant success, we celebrate how well people survive. But what happens when survival becomes a way of being?” she asked.

She said Nigerian immigrants often faced the challenge of balancing their cultural heritage, professional expectations and family responsibilities while adapting to unfamiliar social environments and navigating their experiences as Black people.

Citing a 2023 study by Aluh and other researchers, Ekpudu said 51.7 per cent of Nigerian immigrants in Canada screened positive for depression.

She also highlighted the study’s reported association between longer residence in Canada, particularly beyond 10 years, and higher odds of screening positive for depression.

According to her, prolonged uncertainty, migration-related pressures and the demands of constant adaptation could contribute to chronic stress, which might manifest as anxiety, sleep disturbances, emotional exhaustion, difficulty concentrating and burnout.

“Sometimes what looks like resilience from the outside is a nervous system that has become very good at surviving,” she said.

Ekpudu cautioned that maintaining employment, meeting family obligations and fulfilling professional responsibilities did not necessarily mean that a person was emotionally healthy.

She noted that cultural expectations and familiar expressions such as “I am just tired”, “God will help me” and “I need to be stronger” could sometimes prevent people from acknowledging emotional distress or seeking professional support.

The social worker advocated a shift from celebrating survival alone to helping immigrants establish a stronger sense of belonging, reconcile different aspects of their identities and build lives in which they could thrive.

She explained that belonging meant feeling accepted without having to abandon one’s identity, while integration involved embracing different aspects of oneself without feeling compelled to choose one over another.

Beyond the experiences of immigrants, Oyeniji said the summit examined the mental health challenges confronting mothers affected by perinatal mental health disorders, caregivers of children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism, and families supporting relatives living with depression.

He said Ololade Sanusi, a mental health coach and corporate governance expert, was scheduled to address the theme “Beyond Being Strong: Why Lived Experiences Must Shape Mental Healthcare in Nigeria”.

Oyeniji identified Damilola Seriki and Babajide Balogun as advocates coordinating public and non-governmental efforts towards establishing a federal Mental Health Commission.

He said Lagos and Ekiti were the only states that had enacted mental health laws, adding that the Nigeria Mental Health Act, 2023, was undergoing amendments under the present administration.

The convener also acknowledged the contributions of the Human Rights Foundation, led by Victor Fakunle, to human rights advocacy, as well as Philip Jakpor of the Renevlyn Development Initiative to public enlightenment campaigns on environmental justice.

He called for discussions on insecurity, terrorism and violence to address not only their underlying causes but also their psychological consequences for victims, families and affected communities.

Oyeniji further recognised the contributions of Dr Olufunto Adeleye, lead of the Ladoke Akintola Neuroscience Group, which co-organised the summit, and the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria to research into brain-related diseases.

In separate goodwill messages, stakeholders, including Jakpor, executive director of the Renevlyn Development Initiative, expressed solidarity with the summit and its objectives.

Oyeniji urged participants to use their professional expertise and personal experiences to advocate reforms that would make mental healthcare more inclusive, accessible and responsive to Nigerians’ needs.

“May God use our voices not only to speak about causes and impact of mental health diseases as lived experiences but even more importantly to deliver real and positive change to Nigerians everywhere,” he said.

The summit underscored the need to move beyond assumptions about resilience and success, calling for greater recognition of the often-unseen psychological struggles of immigrants, vulnerable individuals and families, and for policies that translate their lived experiences into meaningful improvements in mental healthcare.