"I'm Drowning": Actress Chidera Adiele Cries Out Over Brother's Seven-Year Mental Health Battle
- Nollywood actress Chidera Adiele shared a video on Instagram pleading for help with her younger brother's years-long drug addiction and mental illness
- Her brother has passed through at least seven psychiatric facilities since his condition first emerged in 2019 after he gained university admission
- Adiele, who described herself as the family's primary caregiver, said her daughter now sleeps in fear, with the family living under her roof
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Nollywood actress and art curator Chidera Adiele broke down in a video posted to her Instagram page on Tuesday, July 29, appealing for public help over her younger brother's prolonged struggle with drug addiction and mental illness, a battle she says has consumed seven years of her life.
Chidera Adiele explained that her brother's condition first surfaced in 2019 after he secured admission into the University of Lagos, with his mental state deteriorating significantly within months of beginning his first academic session in 2020.
Source: Instagram
Seven facilities, no lasting solution
Over the years, actress Chidera Adiele said her brother had cycled through at least seven psychiatric facilities in search of treatment.
These included the New York Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, a private facility called Concept One, another in Gbagada, a hospital in Benin, and most recently the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, also in Yaba.
"A few months into his first academic session in 2020, my brother went mad. I tried not to bring this whole thing to the media space, but I'm drowning and genuinely need help. 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," she said.
Following his discharge roughly a week before the video was recorded, the family turned to spiritual intervention, taking him to a ministry called Zion Ministry. His condition, she said, worsened after he returned the very next night.
Source: Instagram
Adiele, who identifies herself as the eldest child and her brother's primary caregiver throughout this ordeal, said she had relocated from the family home five years ago to shield her daughter from the instability.
That arrangement collapsed when the family received a quit notice from their landlord and moved in with her.
"I'm the First Child. I'm Tired"
"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," she said.
Chidera Adiele also recounted distressing incidents in which her brother was found wandering the streets of Lagos without clothing, with concerned members of the public contacting her each time he was spotted.
Her frustration extended to her parents, whom she accused of leaving her to shoulder responsibilities that were not hers to carry alone.
"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 said.
With rent costs in Lagos making it impossible to secure alternative accommodation for her brother, Adiele said her daughter continues to live in fear.
The actress closed the video with a raw plea to anyone willing to offer assistance.
"I've done what I can do. I've carried him everywhere that I can carry him to… I'm tired. Please, I'm drowning. I need help," she said.
Watch the video of Chidera Adiele below:
Actress Ngozi Nwosu pleads for help
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that veteran Nollywood actress Ngozi Nwosu appeared in a heartbreaking video from her hospital bed, appealing to fans and loved ones for financial assistance.
She revealed she has been hospitalised for three weeks and is preparing to undergo three surgeries, saying her situation has gone beyond her control.
In her emotional plea, Nwosu urged supporters not to abandon her, asking them to reach out to her management team while ending with a prayer for healing.
Source: Legit.ng
