Innovative uses of benzodiazepines in psychiatry

Over the last three decades, a greater understanding of the phenomenology and etiology of illness has fostered progress in psychopharmacology. While research has yielded important new psychopharmacologic compounds, the field continues to benefit from the discovery of innovative clinical applications of established agents. For instance, benzodiazepines--among the most commonly used medications in the pharmacopoeia--have demonstrated their efficacy in the treatment of a wide variety of syndromes. Recently, much attention has focused on the use of high-potency benzodiazepines (for example, clonazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam) in the treatment of panic disorder and mania. This paper presents the uses of benzodiazepines to treat other conditions, including psychotic and agitated states, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pain syndromes, seizures, drug withdrawal and side-effects induced by antidepressants and neuroleptics.