Long-term use of benzodiazepines in psychiatric inpatients

During the past few years the problem of over-prescribing benzodiazepines has been increasingly discussed. However, up to now exact data on the extent of an abuse of these substances are relatively scarce and controversial. An analysis done at the Psychiatric State Hospital Weinsburg from 1974 to 1983 regarding the frequency of the diagnosis "Benzodiazepine-dependence" showed that in only 150 cases (0.5%) out of almost 33,000 admitted patients was the diagnosis benzodiazepine-abuse justified, with an increase since the year 1980. During a prospective study of the quarterly incidence in 1984, 18.5% of the patients admitted met the criterion of long-term use of benzodiazepines (continuous use for more than 3 months). Sociodemographic and clinical data are presented and an index of abuse/dependence is proposed.