What is "self-medication"

n. Medication of oneself without professional advice in order to treat a real or imagined condition.

Self-medication is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological ailments.

The most widely self-medicated substances are over-the-counter drugs used to treat common health issues at home, as well as dietary supplements. These don't require a doctor's prescription to obtain and, in some countries, are available in supermarkets and convenience stores. The psychology of self-medicating with psychoactive drugs is typically within the specific context of using recreational drugs, alcohol, comfort food, and other forms of behavior to alleviate symptoms of mental distress, stress and anxiety, including mental illnesses and/or psychological trauma, is particularly unique and can serve as a serious detriment to physical and mental health if motivated by addictive mechanisms.

Self-medication is often seen as gaining personal independence from established medicine, and it can be seen as a human right, implicit in, or closely related to the right to refuse professional medical treatment.

Self-medication is a human behavior in which an individual uses unprescribed drugs to treat untreated and/or undiagnosed ailments.

Self-medication may also refer to:

• Self Medication (album), a 2008 album by the Slackers
• "Self-Medication" (The Venture Bros.), an episode of The Venture Bros
• Zoopharmacognosy, self-medication in animals