An old video showing late veteran Nollywood actress and television personality, Ada Ameh, talking about her mental health has resurfaced online.
Ameh, who played the role of Anita in the movie ‘Domitilla’ in 1996, is famous for her comic characters, especially in the television series, The Johnsons.
The video was captured during a TVC programme, titled ‘Your View’.
In the video, the actress stated that she was diagnosed with depression.
She said, “I had depression. I have been depressed for some years and it became very worse when I lost my daughter in 2020. My daughter and I practically grew up together. I was 14 when I had her.
“She was more like my younger sister and best friend. I just saw my world crumbled before me. I had lost three of my sisters before that time and each of them had three children.
“I have lost like three of my brothers and my father. My younger sister that died in 2018, she was a footballer, one of the assistant female coaches for U-19 national team.
“After she died, I thought I would be the next, I don’t know then when my daughter died my world crumbled before me. Sometimes, I cry for days, I have been in and out of hospital.”
When asked if she thought the experience could give her strength to help others going through same situation, she said, “Definitely, I get messages every day from people who say they want to commit suicide and I ask them why?
“After burying seven family members and my daughter joined as the eighth, that means I have died a thousand times.
“When I see someone going through the same, I tell them to talk to a doctor. I used to go to Calabar before now because Nigerians are very funny. When you say you have mental issues, they assume that you are running mad. The mental issue could be Schizophrenia, depression or anything.”
Earlier in the day, the news of her death went viral.
Ameh reportedly slumped and was rushed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s hospital but died before she got to the building and was pronounced dead upon her arrival.
She lost her daughter Aladi Godgift in October 2020. Godgift died at the age of 30 after an unsuccessful surgery in Abuja.