Indiscriminate use of psychotropic drugs by health discipline students at a private university in Colatina

Abstract

Background: Psychotropic drugs are used to treat disorders involving central nervous system. However, several drugs are indiscriminately used by individuals seeking better academic or professional performance or for esthetic or recreational purposes. Indiscriminate utilization of psychotropic drugs is deleterious and can cause insomnia, anxiety, and emotional ability in short term, as well as physical or psychological dependence, cardiovascular, cognitive, and motor alterations in long term, in addition to the risk of overdose. Aim: This study was designed to characterize the prevalence of indiscriminate use of psychotropic drugs among students in the health disciplines in Colatina, Espírito Santo, to decipher the factors driving this practice. The findings from this study can lend themselves for designing preventive measures, in addition to providing a source of information about the harmful impacts of this habit. Methods: A descriptive study on a sample of 122 college students from courses in the health disciplines was carried out using online questionnaires. The data were tabulated in GraphPad Prism 9 software, with 95% reliability (P < 0.05), and analyzed using Fisher’s test. Results: Half of the college students interviewed claimed to have used psychotropic drugs at some points in their lives, and 21.3% had attempted self-medication. Utilization of psychotropic drugs became a common habit among students after entering academic life (62.3%). Conclusions: Self-medication is a common practice among the interviewed students and academic life, which has an significant impact on mental health, galvanizes this practice. These findings point to the need for better attention to the mental health of the university students and more education regarding the practice of self-medication in the population as a whole. Relevance for Patients: The study highlights the need for greater attention by health professionals to this practice of self-medication, and more primary preventive measures focused on educating these users to prevent jeopardizing the health of individuals indiscriminately used psychopharmaceuticals and to consequently reduce health system costs.