When someone is struggling with mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression, they may turn to self-medication rather than professional help. Other people may start to self-medicate when they are already being treated for a mental health condition. Self-medication is a dangerous situation, and there are much healthier options to overcome mental health issues and disorders, including professional treatment.
What Is Self-Medication?
Self-medication is the process of treating our emotions, feelings, or mental health issues using alcohol, medications, illicit substances, or food to bring short-term relief. For example, some people may drink alcohol or smoke marijuana to alleviate stress and anxiety. Other people may turn to comfort food that causes a release of endorphins to boost their mood.
Then, there are other people who will take medications when they do not need them. For instance, they take ADHD medications to increase their focus and energy levels or use benzodiazepines, like Xanax, to help alleviate anxiety or sleep.
So, when someone is using alcohol, drugs, or food as a means to treat emotional and mental health issues, it is called self-medication. Unfortunately, once people fall into the trap of self-medicating, it is difficult to stop without professional help.
Understanding Self-Medication
Understanding self-medication requires learning more about how it occurs. Why it happens could be for several reasons, including:
- As a coping mechanism: People often imitate what they see others doing. So, if they had a parent, sibling, or friend who self-medicated to cope with various issues, it can lead them to do the same.
- People are afraid to seek professional help: Due to societal stigmas associated with mental health disorders, some people will attempt to treat their condition on their own.
- Societal expectations: Various societal expectations can deter people from seeking help and turn to self-medicating. For example, many men won’t seek help because they have the misconception that they will appear weak.
- Self-diagnosis: Thanks to the internet, some people will attempt to self-diagnose and self-treat their mental health issues.
- Financial concerns: Some people have financial concerns about the cost of professional treatment, often unaware most health insurance plans cover mental health treatment.
- Effects experienced: People may enjoy the pleasurable effects they experience when self-medicating, so they continue to do so, not realizing this could worsen their symptoms.
Common Forms of Self-Medicating
There can be many different forms of self-medicating that will vary from one person to another, including:
- Illicit drugs: Some people turn to marijuana, opioids, stimulants, and other substances to help manage their emotions.
- Alcohol: Drinking is the most common form of self-medicating because alcohol is legally and readily available.
- Prescription medications: Some people will steal prescription drugs from family and friends or obtain them illegally to self-treat their mental health symptoms.
- Tobacco products: People may find stress and anxiety relief by using tobacco products due to the effects of nicotine.
- Food: Everyone has heard of “comfort foods.” They are called that because they may provide comfort and boost moods to self-treat different emotional and mental health issues.
- Exercise: Regular exercise is healthy and highly recommended. However, some people go overboard. They excessively exercise because the natural release of certain endorphins can help boost mood and offset undesirable symptoms associated with mental health disorders.
Risks of Self-Medication
The practice of self-medication to treat mental health issues and disorders has several risks, including:
- Inaccurate diagnosis: When people use the internet to attempt to diagnose their condition, it often leads to a misdiagnosis.
- Worsening of symptoms: Self-treating mental health conditions through self-medication will actually cause them to worsen.
- The development of co-occurring disorders: Self-treating one condition could potentially lead to the development of another mental health disorder or substance addictions.
- Potential side-effects and drug interactions: When using alcohol or substances to self-medicate, many different types of side-effects could occur, especially if someone starts mixing substances.
- Increased risk of self-harm or suicide: Long-term substance use can cause some people to engage in self-harming behaviors or contemplate or even attempt suicide.
- Increased risk of overdose: The body develops tolerance to substances when they are misused, leading to higher amounts needed to achieve the desired effects. As a result, the risk of accidental overdose and death increases every time someone increases the amount they use.
- Delays professional treatment: Self-medicating prevents people from receiving the appropriate care they need. It also can lead to making their condition more complex to treat.
- Development of substance use disorders: Prolonged use of substances can lead to eventual addiction.
Alternatives to Self-Medication
There are several viable alternatives to self-medication, which can help alleviate symptoms associated with mental health conditions. Some of the more common alternatives are:
- Support groups: Support groups offer a safe space to learn from others and develop positive coping skills without having to self-medicate.
- Exercise: Regular exercise releases natural endorphins that boost mood and alleviate stress and anxiety.
- Eating healthier: A well-balanced diet can improve mood, strengthen the immune system, and increase energy levels.
- Counseling and therapy: Individual counseling and therapy can help uncover the root causes of negative emotions and behaviors and replace them with positive ones.
- Holistic therapies: Various types of holistic therapies, such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and music therapy, can help people address their mental health issues and better understand how they affect them while helping improve their mood and mental well-being.
Seeking Professional Help in California and Arizona Today
If you are self-medicating mental health issues, seeking professional help can help prevent your symptoms and condition from worsening. Montare Behavioral Health offers comprehensive treatment plans tailored to your specific needs and objectives. Discover healthy ways to address emotional and mental health concerns while developing positive coping skills and techniques. Contact us today for further information or to schedule an initial consultation at one of our locations in California or Arizona.
Published: 3/12/2025
