Factors that encourage self-medication: accessibility, misinformation, and hopelessness

One of the most significant factors contributing to self-medication is the difficulty in accessing timely and continuous psychiatric treatment. Many people face long waiting lists, inadequate coverage by health systems, or financial barriers to paying for a specialist.

In this care vacuum, they resort to informal solutions: they resume medications that worked for them in the past, follow recommendations from acquaintances, or purchase psychotropic drugs outside the medical system. This “informal” access to medications ironically becomes a faster route than formal access, although it is also more risky.

Misinformation about the nature of depression

Another key aspect is the lack of adequate information about the symptoms and natural course of depression. The presentation explained that the diagnosis of depressive disorder includes affective symptoms (such as sadness or anhedonia), cognitive symptoms (slowed thinking, hopelessness), and somatic symptoms (sleep, appetite, or sexual desire disturbances), as well as functional impairment.

However, in the general population, there is still a perception that depression is just “being sad” or “having bad days,” which leads to an underestimation of the need for professional treatment.

This simplified view also encourages many people to turn to supplements, drugs, or natural remedies without really understanding their clinical situation.

Hopelessness as a driver of impulsive decisions

Hopelessness is a central symptom of severe depression and is directly linked to self-medication. Seeing no clear way out of their distress, people with depression may fall into a compulsive search for relief, trying medications, dose changes, or combinations without medical guidance.

This impulsivity is exacerbated when there is a history of relapse, refractory symptoms, or failure of previous treatments. Patients begin to distrust the effectiveness of conventional treatments, which pushes them to experiment on their own.

Clinical consequences and affected prognosis

The use of medications without a proper prescription not only delays access to effective treatment but can also alter the course of the disease. People who self-medicate often come to the doctor with more complicated symptoms, chronic symptoms, greater functional impairment, suicidal ideation, or even psychotic symptoms.

This makes it difficult to apply standardized protocols and may increase the risk of the patient developing refractory depression, i.e., not responding to two well-indicated treatments. In addition, these individuals tend to have lower adherence to subsequent treatment regimens due to mistrust generated by their previous experiences.

Do-it-yourself culture and social media

Today, many people obtain information about mental health on social media, where testimonials about medications, supplements, and personal experiences abound. This content, while well-intentioned, is not always accurate or appropriate.

The culture of