Self-medication of anxiety symptoms among a group of male substance abusers

Abstract

Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most complicated problems that face not only medical professionals but the whole community. This results from the enormous personal, social, and economic costs of such disorder. Moreover, SUD forms a cause of preventable illness and death in our country as well as other countries, both developed and developing ones (Okasha, 2010). A national survey report stated that 8.5% of Egyptians, which is about 6 million people – are addicted to drugs (Khoweiled, 2012). The term ‘psychiatric co-morbidity’ does not have any implication for the existence of, or the nature of the relationship between, substance use and mental health disorders, or for the etiological relationship between the two conditions (Hall et al., 2009). Psychiatric co-morbidity, or co-morbid mental and substance use disorders, may occur concurrently (two disorders are present at the same time) or successively (two disorders occur at different times in a person’s life); in both cases, the two disorders may or may not be causally related (Langas et al., 2011). Research studies show that substance use, withdrawal symptoms and dependence may lead to or exacerbate psychiatric or psychological symptoms or syndromes. Conversely, psychiatric disorders may lead to substance use and addiction (Torrens et al., 2011). Self-medication is the selection and use of non-prescription medicines by individuals’ own initiatives to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms. It is practiced significantly worldwide even though its type, extent and reasons for its practice may vary. Self-care is what people do for their own selves to establish and maintain health, prevent and deal with illness. Self-medication, as one element of self-care, is the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self recognized illnesses or symptoms i.e., It is use of nonprescription medicines by people on the basis of their own initiatives (Husain & Khanum, 2011). In our study, as regards the relation between self medication of anxiety and the presence of SUD, As regards GAD, 17%, were found to be positive, i.e. suffering from GAD and using the substance to medicated and handle these anxiety symptoms without seeking professional help. As for panic disorder, it represented 10% of the total sample. In OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, A total of 4 cases were detected, representing 13% of the total