Almost 40% of patients prefer to self-medicate because doing so has worked for them previously, according to a survey published Feb. 27, led by market research and data analytics firm YouGov.
It is American adults, 21% of them specifically, who reported they self-medicated because of increasing distrust in medical professionals. However, nearly one third of U.S. adults cited healthcare's high costs as a primary reason to self-medicate.
According to the survey, to self-medicate is to take medicines or drugs for a health condition without having first consulted a doctor or other medical professional.
"Notably, consumers across age groups more or less agree on reasons like lack of trust in medical professionals or previous instances where professionals haven’t been able to diagnose conditions," the report states.
The company conducted the survey across 17 markets, each of which surveyed between 183 and 773 patients. A collective analysis of the data across these markets was performed and then assessed for trends.
Other reported barriers across age groups to pursuing traditional healthcare appointments rather than self-medication include: lack of time for a medical appointment, difficulty scheduling an appointment to begin with, and the period of time it takes to get an accurate diagnosis.