[Benzodiazepine: long-term use or abuse? Results of an epidemiologic study)]

Analysis of the prevalence of the diagnosis benzodiazepine-dependence showed that there were only 150 cases (0.5%) out of almost 33 000 admissions during the period 1974 to 1983 and that a noticeable rise in frequency occurred after 1981. In a prospective quarterly incidence study for 1984, 18.5% of patients admitted fulfilled the criteria for long-term users (longer than 3 months continuous administration).