 This decision of self medication better than meeting a doctor or buying medicines usually stem from a few things. Indians love to save money and if not money, it could be that this particular problem would be not that big or serious enough to visit a doctor or buy medicines, but it all stems from the tradition old ways.

Cognitive way of thinking

Older Generation indians believe the Old is gold and that means self-medication In what has been observed lately. Indians are known to be traditional and conservative and believe that medicines will cause more harm and self-medicating means knowing what you are doing to yourself personally. It is  risky, but the belief and the habits really do not change.

Cognitive Thinking Of Old is Gold

The social norm is that most older generation indians love their children to enter the medical field as a career. Getting into this feild of medicine is usually the talk of the town between our culture, but then the same thinking of doctors and medicines being their son's future career and then putting themselves at risk because of self-medication and not trusting doctors and medicines due to the belief of old is gold is such a duality in nature.

Duality of this situation

Older Generation indians who usually were born and raised in India have had trust issues with the medical industry. India in the distant past has had medical malpractice at peak so the mindset of malpractice in some areas which means to them that everywhere else also exists medical malpractice. The fact that 50% of indians self-medicate tells a lot of the mindset which had stemmed from earlier generations.

Medical Mistrust

Indians in  general somehow, believe that self-medication is the best way if infected with any disease or having any injury. Turmeric, honey and other natural substances are somehow the magic indians tend to always trust in. These remedies do work, but there are actually so many other reasons why older generation indians refuse or dislike medication and hospitals.

Michigan State University

Health Psychology research studies related to Indian Culture include
- Behavior of Older Generation Indians and Medicine


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