Mental health issues affect a significant portion of the population. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 59.3 million people in the United States were living with a mental illness in 2022, equating to around 23.1% of the adult population. Many of those individuals turn to self-medication as a way of coping with their mental health challenges.
What Is Self-Medication?
Self-medication refers to the practice of taking drugs, consuming alcohol or using other extreme “home remedies” to manage mental health conditions in the absence of professional mental health care.
Self-medicating shouldn’t be confused with self-care. Treating yourself to a delicious meal after a hard week at work or going to a gym class to alleviate stress can be a healthy outlet for intense emotions. In contrast, using illicit drugs or misusing prescription medications as a way of coping with anxiety or depression can be harmful.
Common Substances Used for Self-Medication
People self-medicate with a variety of substances, including:
- Alcohol
- Cannabis
- Heroin
- Psychoactive drugs
- Cocaine
- Cold or anxiety medications
- ADHD medications
- Opioids
- Sleeping pills
The substances a person might take depend on what it is they’re trying to manage. For example, ADHD medications might be misused by someone who’s stressed, anxious or overworked and trying to improve their focus. Sleeping pills and painkillers are sometimes misused by people who are struggling with grief or depression.
Alcohol and illicit drugs are often used as a means of escape by people struggling to deal with difficult emotions of all kinds. In the short term, they numb the emotions the individual is struggling with. However, these substances don’t fix the underlying issue, and in the long term, use of these substances may cause other health issues.
Risks and Consequences of Avoiding Professional Help
The impact of self-medication on anxiety or depression can be difficult to quantify. Many people who turn to self-medication haven’t received a formal diagnosis for their mental health issues, and they may struggle with their symptoms for years before seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction and the underlying mental health challenges that led to that addiction.
Research into self-medication with novel psychoactive substances has found that many individuals are turning to problematic substances such as clonazolam rather than seeking out professional mental health support. Drugs and alcohol may mask the issue in the short term, but there are many risks associated with self-medicating, including:
- Unexpected side effects. Taking illicit or unregulated substances or using drugs that were prescribed for another person can lead to unexpected and potentially dangerous side effects.
- Interaction with other medications. If a person is taking other medications and starts using drugs or alcohol without their doctor’s knowledge, these substances could interact with the other medications. This could reduce the effectiveness of the medication, lead to an unexpected overdose or cause unwanted side effects.
- Worsening of existing symptoms. In some cases, drugs and alcohol can worsen existing mental health challenges or bring about new symptoms.
- Triggering new mental health challenges. Individuals who are genetically predisposed to mental health disorders could find that taking certain drugs or consuming alcohol could trigger mental health conditions. For example, alcohol use has been linked to depression, while marijuana can trigger psychosis in some individuals.
- Delaying access to mental health support. Self-medication can lull people into a false sense of security, especially in the early days when using the drug or alcohol appears to be providing an escape from the symptoms. Seeking professional help is difficult for anyone, but it can be even harder for someone who is still in the mindset of “handling things themselves.”
- Unnecessary negative impact on personal life. Anxiety and depression can become progressively worse to the point that they have a severe negative impact on a person’s daily life. Untreated mental health challenges can lead to someone becoming unemployed, losing close personal relationships, losing their home or becoming incarcerated. Getting help before the issue reaches this stage is vital.
- Lasting impact on quality of life. Severe mental health challenges can sometimes lead to a person abandoning self-care, causing other medical conditions to get worse. When combined with the risks associated with drug and alcohol use, this can potentially lead to lasting health consequences.
Healthier Alternatives to Manage Mental Health
Fortunately, help is available for people who are struggling with mental health challenges. Therapy and prescription medications can help people on the road to a healthier, happier life.
Talk therapy is one popular option that provides people with a chance to talk about upsetting memories or experiences and process their feelings. Talk therapy can help people develop coping mechanisms to deal with triggering situations and stop negative thoughts in their tracks.
Another popular option is cognitive behavioral therapy. This treatment approach helps people find connections between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors so they can identify negative patterns and break out of them. CBT can help with many different mental health challenges. It doesn’t work for everyone, but those who do respond well to it often report quick results.
Some people find medication helpful as part of a comprehensive approach to managing their mental health. Commonly used forms of medication include antidepressants and antipsychotics.
Counterintuitively, antidepressants aren’t just used to treat depression. They can also help with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and even some eating disorders. Antipsychotics are often used to help with psychosis, schizophrenia and anxiety, as well as bipolar disorder.
While the benefits of medication are clear for certain conditions, such drugs should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor or mental health specialist. Self-medicating with antidepressants or antipsychotics can be dangerous because dosages must be carefully managed.
There’s No Need to Battle Mental Health Challenges Alone
If you’re struggling with your mental health, know that you aren’t alone. People from all walks of life experience mental health challenges. Help is out there. Whether you’re battling anxiety or depression or struggling with substance abuse and want to get back on track with a healthier lifestyle, our counselors can assist you.
Contact Restore Mental Health today to request a call from one of our compassionate counselors. Our consultations are entirely confidential, and we’re trained to assist with a variety of mental health conditions.
