(Ycee. Photo Credit: Nation news)
Rapper, Oludemilade Martin Alejo, popularly known as Ycee, has opened up about his long and difficult battle with bipolar disorder, revealing how the condition forced him to step away from music for several years.
The rapper disclosed during a television interview that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2020 while in London during the Covid-19 lockdown.
According to him, he spent about three months in and out of hospital, going through different diagnoses before arriving at the eventual conclusion, and later returned to Nigeria to continue his treatment due to visa restrictions.
He also spoke about the difficulty of accessing adequate care in Nigeria, explaining that the shortage of qualified mental health personnel made it hard to continue his treatment after leaving London.
He noted that, unlike the United Kingdom, where mental health support services and helplines are more accessible, Nigeria continues to grapple with a shortage of mental health professionals, making it harder for people living with conditions such as bipolar disorder to receive timely and adequate treatment.
He recalled that one thing that stood out to him in London at the time was that, alongside the push around Covid-19 awareness, there was equally strong emphasis on mental health, including dedicated helplines people could reach out to.
The rapper said his plans to continue treatment in Lagos were disrupted due to a shortage of specialists within the country’s mental healthcare system, noting that as of 2024, there remained very few professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists serving in that field.
Ycee also lamented the stigma surrounding mental illness in Nigeria, noting that many people dismiss depression as a condition reserved for the wealthy, and expressed surprise at recently being questioned by people over why he has continued to speak publicly about his experience.