Tayler Holborn, Fabrizio Schifano, Emma Smith, Paolo Deluca
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Numerous individuals suffer from attentional issues, such as ADHD. While medication is considered the first-line treatment, it is unavailable to some. As a result, certain individuals are choosing to self-medicate with novel stimulants, a phenomenon that remains poorly understood. We aimed to investigate which NPSs are being used to self-medicate ADHD, evaluate their perceived effectiveness, and explore the experiences and motivations of those self-medicating.
Methods: Data from respondents (n = 225) (mean age [SD] = 29.5 ± 9.6; male = 83%; female = 12%; non-binary = 5%) were collected via an online survey, with nine participants (mean age = 31.4; male = 5; female = 1; non-binary = 3) undertaking further semi-structured interviews and the data being investigated using a framework analysis.
Results: The most-used NPSs were 4F-MPH and 2-FMA. Some individuals perceived self-medication to be more effective than conventional treatment (p < 0.001). A framework analysis identified the following themes surrounding novel stimulant self-medication: (1) the use of NPS stimulants as a stopgap between treatments; (2) poor access to ADHD treatment; (3) a lack of openness and confidence in psychiatrists and healthcare providers.
Conclusion: Novel stimulants are being used when access to ADHD treatment is poor. Interventions should aim to reduce long treatment wait times and issues surrounding geographical access. Careful consideration should be given before denying stimulant medication to individuals with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric comorbidity. Individuals desire a more patient-centred ADHD treatment with broader pharmacotherapies.
期刊介绍：
Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles, critical reviews, research notes and short communications in the areas of cognitive neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, molecular and cellular neuroscience, neural engineering, neuroimaging, neurolinguistics, neuropathy, systems neuroscience, and theoretical and computational neuroscience. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Electronic files or software regarding the full details of the calculation and experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary material.
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