[Consumption of psychotropic drugs in the general population in the Isère district]

At the request of social insurance system, we implement a Public Health research on psychotherapeutic drug use in a French county. By telephone interviews we carried out a retrospective random survey. 1,330 answers out of 2,000 telephone numbers were obtained. 14% of the adults of this county recognize psychotherapeutic drug use during the last three months. Those older than 65 years are three times more user than those less than 65 years, and only loneliness has been noticed as other risk factor. Characteristics of use are very different between elderly people and young people, and risks of tolerance are prevailing in the first group. So we suggest that more research, especially on risks of regular use in people older than 45 years, should been conducted.