Ibadan has no stand-alone psychiatric hospital. What it has is one of the oldest psychiatry departments in the country, inside the University College Hospital, plus a state hospital unit and the big federal hospital at Aro in Abeokuta. Here is how to use each.
The main place for psychiatric care in Ibadan is the Department of Psychiatry at University College Hospital (UCH), Queen Elizabeth Road, which runs a 24-hour emergency service, 64 inpatient beds and weekly clinics for adults, older adults, children and teenagers, and drug and alcohol problems. Ring Road State Hospital reopened a psychiatric unit in 2025, and the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, is in Abeokuta.
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.
University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan
Federal teaching hospital. Queen Elizabeth Road, Ibadan. Open 24 hours.
UCH’s psychiatry department began in the mid-1950s as an outpatient service and got its first professor in 1963. Today it has 64 beds in two wards, one male and one female, in the hospital’s Neurosciences block, runs its outpatient clinics in the Medical Outpatient Department (MOP), and keeps a psychiatrist on call around the clock for emergencies.
- What’s there: general adult psychiatry, old age psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, alcohol and substance use, neuropsychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry for people admitted to other wards, forensic psychiatry, rehabilitation and community psychiatry, plus social workers, occupational therapists and clinical psychologists.
- Clinic days, as published by the department:
| Clinic | Day and time | Where |
|---|---|---|
| General adult psychiatry | Friday, 1pm | Medical Outpatient Department |
| Old age psychiatry | Thursday, 10am | Medical Outpatient Department |
| Child and adolescent psychiatry | Thursday, 9am | Medical Outpatient Department |
| Alcohol and substance use | Monday, 2pm | Medical Outpatient Department |
| Consultation-liaison psychiatry | Monday | Medical Outpatient Department |
| Community psychiatry | Tuesday, 9am | Four primary health centres in Ibadan North |
| Forensic psychiatry | Tuesday, 9am | Agodi prison |
- How to get seen: in an emergency, adults go to the Emergency Department and children to the Otunba Tunwase Children Emergency Ward, day or night. For anything else, UCH asks for a referral letter: with one, you go to the clinic named on it; without one, you start at the Family Medicine Department, which assesses you and refers you to psychiatry if needed. The hospital doesn’t say whether the psychiatry clinics take walk-ins, so call first.
- Phone: 0813 173 3447 or 0813 173 4161 (main lines), 0813 173 3459 or 0813 173 3677 (contact page). Email: info@uch-ibadan.org.ng.
Last checked: 3 November 2026, from uch-ibadan.org.ng.
Your first visit at UCH, step by step
UCH publishes its outpatient process, which is unusual for a Nigerian hospital:
- Go to the nursing desk at your clinic and say it’s your first visit. They’ll direct you to the Central Health Records Department.
- Register and pay the registration fee at Central Health Records. A records officer walks you back to the clinic with your new case file.
- A nurse checks your weight, height and vital signs, then seats you near your doctor’s consulting room.
- The doctor sees you and may order tests, prescribe medication, refer you for therapy or recommend admission. The nurse can tell you what tests and procedures cost; the pharmacy prices medicines.
- Pay at the nearest pay point, keep your receipts, and collect medicines or do tests.
- Before you leave, hand the appointment slip your doctor gives you to the records office at the clinic so your next visit is booked.
For follow-ups you don’t register again. Hand in your blue appointment card at the clinic and arrive at least 30 minutes before the time on it.
Suggested read: Psychiatric Hospitals in Benin City: Where to Get Help
If you’re admitted
UCH has more than 30 wards and 800 beds. Fees are due at admission, and the hospital offers a fixed deposit that covers care for a set period so relatives aren’t chased for money every day. Bring a change of clothes and toiletries and leave valuables at home. You can’t bring food from home; meal tickets are part of the admission fee. Visiting is 11am to 12 noon and 5pm to 6pm daily, with two visitor tallies per person.
The National Mental Health Act 2021 applies on every ward: treatment needs your informed, written consent, someone admitted voluntarily who asks to leave must be released within 24 hours unless the Act’s strict conditions for involuntary care are met, and nobody may be chained or shackled. Our explainer on the Mental Health Act has the detail.
Ring Road State Hospital, Adeoyo
Oyo State hospital. Ring Road, Ibadan.
In April 2025 the Oyo State Hospitals Management Board reopened the psychiatric unit at Ring Road State Hospital after months of closure, and said it was the only state hospital in Oyo with one. That comes from press reports of the reopening. The state’s own websites wouldn’t load when we checked, so we couldn’t confirm the unit’s clinic days, staffing or a phone number. If UCH is too far or too full, it’s worth a call to the hospital before you travel, but go to UCH for an emergency.
Last checked: 3 November 2026; press reports only, not confirmed on an official page.
Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta
Federal psychiatric hospital. Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Phone 0903 638 0203.
Aro is the largest psychiatric hospital in the south-west, with 735 beds, an assessment and emergency unit, outpatient clinics, child and adolescent, older adult and addiction services, and long-stay rehabilitation. For someone who needs a long admission or residential addiction treatment, it is often where UCH and other hospitals refer. Our guide to Aro, Abeokuta covers what to expect there.
Last checked: 3 November 2026, from main.neuroaro.gov.ng.
Private psychiatric care in Ibadan
We looked for private psychiatrist-led hospitals in Ibadan with their own websites and found none we could confirm. Directory sites list a few clinics, but a directory entry isn’t evidence that a psychiatrist works there. If someone recommends a private clinic, ask who the psychiatrist is, ask to see its current registration with the Oyo State Ministry of Health, and ask what a consultation and any admission will cost before you commit. Several Lagos private hospitals also run outpatient and video consultations; our Lagos guide lists them.
Drug and alcohol help
UCH’s alcohol and substance use clinic runs on Monday afternoons, and Aro has a residential addiction unit. 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 choosing a rehab centre explains what good treatment looks like, and our page on addiction covers the options.
Suggested read: Psychiatric Hospitals in Nigeria: The Full List by Region
What it costs
Neither UCH nor Aro publishes fees. Public hospitals charge for registration, consultations, tests, medicines and admission, and UCH’s nurses quote the cost of each step before you pay. Ask for the cost of registration, a consultation and, if needed, admission 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.
If it’s an emergency now
- If someone is in immediate danger, call 112.
- Psychiatric emergencies: UCH’s Emergency Department on Queen Elizabeth Road, which has a psychiatrist on call 24 hours a day. Any hospital A&E can also help.
- To talk to someone now: Safe Place Nigeria on 0800 800 2000, toll-free and answered 24 hours a day. Our helplines page lists more.
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 UCH. Therapy can run alongside psychiatric treatment, and you can find a therapist in Ibadan, or see someone online. If psychosis is part of the picture, read about schizophrenia.
Addresses, clinic days 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 Ibadan?
Not a stand-alone one. UCH on Queen Elizabeth Road has a full psychiatry department with wards, clinics and a 24-hour emergency service. The nearest federal psychiatric hospital is Aro in Abeokuta.
What days does UCH psychiatry clinic hold?
The department publishes these: general adult on Friday at 1pm, old age on Thursday at 10am, child and adolescent on Thursday at 9am, alcohol and substance use on Monday at 2pm, and consultation-liaison on Monday, all at the Medical Outpatient Department. Call to confirm before you go.
Can I go to UCH psychiatry without a referral?
In an emergency, yes, through the Emergency Department. For a routine visit UCH asks you to start at its Family Medicine Department if you have no referral letter, and they refer you on.
Is there a government psychiatric hospital in Oyo State?
The Oyo State government reopened a psychiatric unit at Ring Road State Hospital, Adeoyo, in April 2025, according to press reports. We couldn’t confirm its details on an official page, so call before you go. UCH is federal.
How much does it cost to see a psychiatrist at UCH?
UCH doesn’t publish fees. You pay a registration fee, then for the consultation, any tests and medicines. If you have NHIA cover, ask the NHIA desk what your plan includes.
This article is awaiting clinical review. It’s based on published research and health guidelines, and we’ll update it once a clinician has reviewed it.
Suggested read: Aro, Abeokuta: What to Expect at the Psychiatric Hospital
