Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Shehu, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), has issued a strong warning that stress and mental health disorders are becoming significant and growing threats to the journalism profession in Nigeria and globally.

Dr. Shehu made this known while presenting a paper titled “Pressure Amid Deadline: Psychiatric/Mental Health Precautions” during the 2025 Retreat of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), held at Pyramid Hotel, Kaduna.

He explained that the fast-paced, high-pressure nature of journalism exposes many practitioners to chronic stress, trauma, depression, and other psychological disorders.

“Journalists are stressful and always under pressure to meet deadlines and break the news. What can we do about it? Even though stress is always around us, the only place you stay without stress is the graveyard,” he remarked.

Dr. Shehu noted that reporters often witness tragic and traumatic events firsthand, which may silently affect their mental stability over time. He observed that, like military personnel, journalists frequently encounter gory and distressing scenes, making them highly vulnerable to trauma.

He warned that unless journalists begin to take mental health seriously, the profession may continue to lose practitioners to depression, suicide, and stress-related illnesses.

The psychiatrist urged journalists to seek medical and emotional support when overwhelmed, cultivate healthier work routines, identify the causes of stress early, and prioritise adequate sleep and rest.

He also cited examples of journalists who died by suicide or from untreated depression, stressing that psychological well-being must be taken as seriously as physical health.