Rapper YCee reveals his battle with bipolar for 6 years - The Ghanaian Chronicle

Popular Nigerian Rapper Oludemilade Martin Alejo, popularly known as YCee, has opened up about a six-year battle with bipolar disorder, revealing that he was diagnosed with the condition in London in 2020 and has since struggled to access adequate treatment after returning to Nigeria. The 33-year-old made the disclosure during an appearance on Arise TV, where he spoke candidly about how the diagnosis changed his outlook on life and exposed the deep gaps in Nigeria’s mental health infrastructure. I have been living with bipolar disorder since 2020. I was diagnosed in London because I was in London during that period, and I was in and out of hospital. I went through different diagnoses before we arrived at that,” he said. He recalled that before the diagnosis, mental health was not a topic he had ever meaningfully engaged with, describing it as largely absent from Nigerian conversations at the time. “Before 2020, I don’t think I had even ever said the phrase mental health or come across it in conversation, especially coming from Nigeria,” he said. YCee said the contrast between how mental health was handled in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is approached in Nigeria was stark. He noted that even as Britain battled the pandemic, helplines and mental health support services remained visible and accessible. By the time he returned to Lagos to continue treatment, the reality was different. YCee also addressed the stigma that continues to surround mental illness in Nigeria, noting that many people dismiss depression as something only the privileged experience.