Chude Jideonwo and Betty Irabor during the interview
If there’s one thing that this week’s episode of #WithChude has so flawlessly demonstrated, it’s that material possessions, luxury and living an indulgent lifestyle does not exempt one from the darkness of depression, as illustrated by Betty Irabor’s experience.
The famous Magazine Publisher told host and cofounder Chude Jideonwo about how her seemingly perfect life began to spiral out of control after she started battling feelings of insecurity and grief following the death of her father and brother. This period led her into a season of depression, insomnia and even attempted suicide.
“I always felt I wasn’t good enough or that I hadn’t accomplished enough, because at that moment, I was not thinking about my successes”, she said.
Growing up in Methodist Girls’ High School, Yaba, Betty was familiar with the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, or Yaba left as it was often called, as a place for “mad” people. However, she never thought that she would one day be a patient of the famous clinic. After seeing nine different psychiatrists, she was desperate for help and decided to visit a professor at that hospital as advised by her uncle.
Recollecting this experience, Betty said, “All I wanted was my sanity. They say, ‘he who is down need fear no foe’. I was already at the grass level and I was looking for where I could find help.”
After taking series of medications, seeing a long list of doctors and repeatedly attempting suicide, Betty eventually found a way to overcome her depression with the help of her husband and trusted friends. Today, she’s stronger than ever.
“In a strange way, I have managed to find a way of dealing with things that would normally knock me down. I am not that skinny, insecure woman, who fretted about everything. I am different person, I am happier, I know that I am actually in control of what I internalise, and I can filter out what I don’t want in my life.”
Betty continues to share her story happily to the world in the hope that her story will inspire others to get help and hopefully take control of their stories, proving that depression is real, but it’s not insurmountable.
#WithChude is a special series of targeted multimedia conversations and investigations focused on narratives that enable and strengthen the mind, heart, and spirit.
