"It may be a form of self medication for the sometimes extreme anxiety that these people experience, " he said.

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Such openness about mental health issues -- and the self-medication that illegal drugs can provide -- has historically not always been the case in the African-American culture.

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"Patrick Duffy has a complex medical history and a number of background risk factors that indicated an increased risk of abuse of medication and self harm while in custody, " she said.

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During his two months in Maghaberry, Mr Duffy had two episodes of self-harming, periods of supervised medication and failed a drugs test.

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"If the child is horrendously disruptive -- self-injury and hurting themselves -- yes, use medication in young children, " said Dr. Mani Pavuluri, director of the Pediatric Brain Research and Intervention Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

More than 16.5 million Americans age 45-plus self report some form of vision impairment--defined as vision that cannot be corrected with glasses, surgery or medication--even when wearing glasses or contacts.

FORBES: Tara A. Cortes