When you or someone you love needs a psychiatrist rather than a therapist, knowing where to go can save days. These are the main public and private options in the FCT, what each offers, and how to get seen.
Abuja has no federal neuropsychiatric hospital. Public psychiatric care is at National Hospital Abuja, whose psychiatry emergency room is open round the clock, and at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada. Private psychiatrist-led hospitals operate in Gwarinpa, Utako, Jahi and elsewhere.
Psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist: who do you need?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health. Psychiatrists can diagnose, prescribe medication, order tests and admit someone to hospital. Psychologists, counsellors and therapists provide talking therapy and don’t prescribe.
See a psychiatrist, usually at a hospital, when:
- Someone is hearing or seeing things others don’t, or holds fixed beliefs that aren’t true, such as being poisoned or followed.
- Someone is unusually elated, sleepless and reckless for days, or the reverse: so low they can’t eat, work or get out of bed.
- There are thoughts of suicide with a plan.
- Someone needs to come off alcohol, tramadol, codeine or sedatives, which can need medical supervision.
- Someone may need medication, or their current medication needs reviewing.
- An older relative is becoming confused or forgetful.
For most other problems, such as anxiety, low mood, grief, stress or relationship trouble, a therapist is a good place to start, and many people see both. Our guide to therapists, counsellors and psychiatrists explains the difference, and therapy or medication? covers how the two work together.
Public hospitals
National Hospital Abuja
Federal teaching and referral hospital. Plot 132, Central Business District (Phase II), Garki.
- What’s there: a psychiatry emergency room that runs round the clock, outpatient psychiatry clinics on weekdays, group, family and couples therapy, and a UNODC-accredited treatment centre for drug and alcohol problems with a one-month inpatient detox programme followed by outpatient care.
- How to get seen: in an emergency you can go straight there, on your own or brought by family. For clinics, the appointment centre books you in against your hospital card.
- Phone: appointment centre 0706 563 3018 (weekdays 8.30am to 8pm, weekends 8.30am to 12.30pm). General enquiries 0903 009 7889.
- NHIA: the hospital has an NHIA unit. Ask whether your plan covers psychiatric care.
University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada
Federal teaching hospital. Gwagwalada. The Mental Health Department is in the hospital’s Mental Health Building, opened in 2024.
- What’s there: outpatient psychiatry, psychotherapy and counselling, child and adolescent mental health, care for older adults, and alcohol and drug services. Emergencies go through A&E, which is open 24 hours.
- How to get seen: clinics run by appointment on weekdays. The hospital’s NHIA clinic is open daily from 8am to 8pm.
- Phone: 0704 004 5614, the main line, which also takes emergencies.
Garki Hospital
Owned by the FCT Administration and run privately. Tafawa Balewa Way, Area 8, Garki.
- What’s there: psychiatric and psychological care run in partnership with Synapse Services, including addiction treatment, child and adolescent services, perinatal mental health and dementia care, with inpatient beds. Mental health clinics run on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. A&E is open 24 hours.
- Phone: appointments 0809 569 8080. A&E 0817 463 6860.
FCT district hospitals: Asokoro, Wuse and Kubwa
The FCT Hospitals Management Board says psychiatry services run at these three hospitals. Their own pages don’t all list it, so call before you go.
- Asokoro District Hospital: 31 Julius Nyerere Crescent, Asokoro.
- Wuse District Hospital: 15 Conakry Street, Wuse Zone 3. Phone 0809 286 8157.
- Kubwa General Hospital: Okitipupa Crescent, by Kempe Street, Phase IV, Kubwa. Emergency care 24 hours.
Federal Medical Centre Abuja in Jabi has advertised psychiatric services in the past, but its current website doesn’t list a psychiatry department. Call 0702 570 0037 to check before going.
Suggested read: Are Tramadol and Codeine Banned in Nigeria?
The nearest neuropsychiatric hospital: Kaduna
The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna, opposite Shagari Low Cost, has a psychiatric emergency unit open 24 hours a day, a child and adolescent clinic, drug addiction treatment and care for older adults. Phone 0803 272 2243, from 8am to 4pm.
Private psychiatric hospitals and clinics
We haven’t inspected these, and a listing here isn’t a recommendation. Before you commit, ask who the psychiatrist is, ask to see its registration with PHERMC, the FCT committee that registers private health facilities, and ask what a consultation and any admission will cost.
- Novacrest Hospital, Gwarinpa. 11 6921A Road, off 66/69, Adkan Estate, Gwarinpa. Psychiatrist-led since 2011, with inpatient and outpatient care, detox and rehabilitation, clinical psychology and care for older adults. Open 24 hours, and accepts some HMO plans. Phone 0700 312 3700.
- Synapse Services, Utako and Jahi. A private psychiatric group working in Abuja since 2009, with a 25-bed unit, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction and ADHD services. Its own pages give addresses in both districts, so confirm where to go when you call 0811 169 5982 or 0915 459 0073.
- Happy Family Hospital. Sun City Estate, 30 Arsenal Street. Psychiatrist-led, with inpatient and outpatient care, open 24 hours. It says no referral is needed. Phone 0704 149 1081.
- Newlife Specialist Hospital and Rehab Centre, Kurudu. 6 Olufemi Oguntuyi Close, Army Post Housing Estate (2nd Gate), Kurudu. Led by a consultant psychiatrist, with inpatient care and rehabilitation. Phone 0706 302 5917.
- Cedarcrest Hospitals. A general hospital group that offers psychiatry consultations. Its head office is at 2 Sam Mbakwe Street, Gudu, and it has a Gwarinpa branch. Ask which branch runs the psychiatry clinic: 0700 303 0404.
Drug and alcohol help in Abuja
- NDLEA helpline, 0800 1020 3040. Free, 24 hours, in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. It offers counselling by phone and referrals, and can give you the current address of the NDLEA’s counselling and rehabilitation centre in the FCT.
- Hospital treatment. National Hospital’s inpatient detox programme, UATH’s alcohol and drug services, Garki Hospital’s addiction service, and several of the private hospitals above.
Stopping alcohol or sedatives suddenly can be dangerous, and coming off opioid painkillers such as tramadol is safer with medical support, so start with a doctor. Our guide to substance abuse and where to get help and our page on addiction explain the options.
What it costs
None of these hospitals publishes its fees. Public hospitals charge for registration, which gets you a hospital card, and for consultations, tests and medicines. Private hospitals usually cost more. Ask what registration, a consultation and, if needed, admission will cost before you go.
If you’re on NHIA, the standard benefit package includes consultations with specialists, psychiatrists among them. Ward stays are capped at 21 days a year and need a referral, and higher-level services need your HMO’s approval. Private HMO plans vary, and many limit mental health care. Ask your HMO and the hospital’s NHIA desk before you rely on cover. Our guide to whether your HMO covers therapy shows what to ask.
In an emergency
- If someone is in immediate danger, call 112.
- Psychiatric emergencies: National Hospital Abuja’s psychiatry emergency room, UATH’s A&E, or the nearest hospital A&E.
- To talk to someone now: Safe Place Nigeria on 0800 800 2000 is toll-free and answered 24 hours a day. Our helplines page lists other Nigerian crisis lines.
Where Mytherapist.ng fits
Our therapists provide talking therapy. They don’t prescribe medication or admit anyone to hospital. If you need a psychiatrist, start with one of the hospitals above. Therapy can run alongside psychiatric treatment, and you can find a therapist in Abuja, or see someone online. If you’re in Lagos, see our guide to psychiatric hospitals in Lagos.
Addresses and phone numbers were taken from each hospital’s own website. Last checked by phone: [DATE: fill in before publishing]. Numbers change, so call before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a psychiatric hospital in Abuja?
There is no federal neuropsychiatric hospital in the FCT; the nearest is in Kaduna. National Hospital Abuja and UATH in Gwagwalada run psychiatry departments, and several private psychiatric hospitals operate in the city.
Where is the government psychiatric hospital in Abuja?
The main public options are National Hospital Abuja in the Central Business District and UATH in Gwagwalada. The FCT’s district hospitals in Asokoro, Wuse and Kubwa are also listed as offering psychiatry, so call before you go.
Is there a psychiatric hospital in Gwarinpa?
Yes. Novacrest Hospital in Adkan Estate, Gwarinpa is a private psychiatrist-led hospital. Cedarcrest Hospitals also has a Gwarinpa branch.
Suggested read: Psychiatric Hospitals in Lagos: Public and Private
Can I go to a psychiatric hospital in Abuja without a referral?
In an emergency, yes. National Hospital’s psychiatry emergency room sees people who come in on their own or are brought by family. Clinics mostly work by appointment, so call first.
Where can I get help for drug addiction in Abuja?
Call the NDLEA helpline on 0800 1020 3040, which is free and open 24 hours. National Hospital runs an inpatient detox programme, and several private hospitals offer detox and rehabilitation.
