- Little is understood about the self-care activities undertaken by drug treatment clients. Using data from a qualitative study of drug treatment and mental health we identify the self-care practices of drug treatment clients diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
- Seventy-seven participants were interviewed in four sites across Australia. Participants described a range of self-care practices for mental health including: self-medication, seeking social support, physical exercise, counselling-derived techniques, keeping busy and other less common strategies.
- These findings show that drug treatment clients undertake similar self-care practices to the general population and illicit drug users and that these activities echo beneficial practices identified in the research literature.
- The results suggest opportunities for service providers to work with clients on self-care activities that may improve mental health. Tensions between consumer and professional views of self-care, and the limits to encouraging self-care as a substitute for treatment, are discussed.
