What are the Causes of Self-Medication?
Self-medication is often due to an underlying issue, which could be a physical health problem, mental health issue, psychological distress or stress.
The common factors which lead to self-medication include:
- Healthcare cost
- Waiting time
- Lack of awareness
- Gender
- Socioeconomic status
- Influence of advertisements
- Minor problems
- Ease of availability of medicines
- Misbelief of patients that illness can be managed better with self-care
What are the Merits and Demerits of Self-Medication?
The merits of self-medication include:
- Individual plays an active role in healthcare
- Self-medication reduces the load on health care providers and hospitals, as minor symptoms can be taken care of by the person
- Convenience - decreases time lost in waiting for the physician
- Saves cost – since medical consultations can be avoided or reduced
- Risk of incorrect self-diagnosis
- Risk of adverse health effects due to irresponsible self-medication. This may require medical intervention and increase the cost
- The temptation to use prescription and controlled medications, without medical consultation
- Increased side effects and drug-drug interactions due to irrational use of medications
- Treating only the symptoms, thereby masking the underlying disease
- Incorrect choice of therapy
- Incorrect dosage regimen
- Risk of dependence and abuse
- Drug resistance due to irrational use of antibiotics
