[Clinical use of Benzodiazepines for anxiety problems: Where do we stand?]

This article presents an overview of the clinical use of Benzodiazepines (BZD) for anxiety problems. It presents a synthesis of the literature on potentially problematic aspects associated with long-term use and presents alternatives to BZD use in the management of anxiety. Medline searches from 1980 to 2001 were conducted. Relevant articles anterior to these dates, located through reference sections of more recent articles, were also reviewed.

Risks and benefits of these drugs for the long-term management of anxiety problems are still not clearly established. Nevertheless, despite recommendations that BZDs should be used on a short-term basis only, an important proportion of patients continue using them on a long-term basis. It would be useful to assess how alternative anxiety management strategies are presented to patients and, if relevant, how to make them more accessible and appealing to anxious patients.