[Developing an Instrument evaluating expectations related to benzodiazepine withdrawal]

Discontinuing the use of benzodiazepine medication can represent a difficult task for some people. High rates of relapses are associated with attempts to stop their use. However, it remains difficult to explain why some people fail in their efforts. The current knowledge suggests the involvement of a psychological component in the difficulty to stop benzodiazepine medication (BZD). Expectations of people who consider stopping their medication has been mentioned as a possible explanation of the failure of the withdrawal process. However, no empirical study has examined the effect of these expectations on the appearance of symptoms during withdrawal or its outcome. This article presents the development of an instrument aiming at assessing personal expectations regarding discontinuation of benzodiazepine medication with individuals who suffer from anxiety. It presents preliminary data related to the clinical validity of items. From 50 initial items, 24 have been eliminated following a first test with some participants. Among 26 chosen items, it has been observed that 8 items (for example, nervousness/anxiety, cognitive capacities, mood) could discriminate between participants having succeeded and those having failed. Generally, it has been observed that participants who have succeeded had expectations that were significantly more positive than people who had failed in their attempt to stop. These preliminary results tend to support the hypothesis according to which negative expectations would harm the BZD withdrawal process. However, these results must be replicated with a greater number of participants.