@article{ref1,
title="Self-medication with alcohol or drugs for mood and anxiety disorders: a narrative review of the epidemiological literature",
journal="Depression and anxiety",
year="2018",
author="Turner, Sarah and Mota, Natalie and Bolton, James and Sareen, Jitender",
volume="35",
number="9",
pages="851-860",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders (MD and AD) with substance use disorders (SUD) is common. One explanation for this comorbidity is the self-medication hypothesis, which posits that individuals with MD or AD use substances to cope with the difficult symptoms associated with the disorder. Over time, self-medication (SM) can develop into an independent SUD. This narrative review will present the prevalence and correlates of SM with alcohol and/or drugs for MD and AD and the relationship between SM and subsequent SUD using both cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological data. <br><br>METHODS: Scopus and PsycINFO were searched from January 1997 to April 2018 to identify original research articles that examined the prevalence and correlates of SM and the temporal relationship between MD/AD and SUD in the general population (n = 22). <br><br>RESULTS: The prevalence of SM with alcohol and/or drugs among those with MD or AD ranged from 21.9% to 24.1%. Male sex, younger age, being separated, divorced or widowed, and being Caucasian were characteristics associated with higher proportions of respondents endorsing SM with alcohol/drugs for MD and AD. Longitudinal data supports the temporal onset of primary MD/AD and secondary SUD among those who self-report SM. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Providing and promoting alternate coping strategies for those with MD/AD may reduce SM, the development of SUD, and the comorbidity of MD/AD with SUD. The concurrent treatment of MD/AD and substance use is the current &quot;gold standard&quot; model of care, and the results of this review support its use.<br><br>© 2018, The Authors. Depression and Anxiety published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1091-4269",
doi="10.1002/da.22771",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.22771"
}