Benzodiazepines Dependence: Addiction to Legally Prescribed Substances
Open accessAbstract
The undue use of benzodiazepines can lead to dependence of this substance, constituting a serious health problem, hard to manage therapeutically. Despite this finding, the prescription of benzodiazepines is still common. In the literature there are several proposals for therapeutic intervention, ranging from the gradual reduction to the psychotherapeutic intervention. In view of the above, this review of the literature aims to understand the specific theme of addition to benzodiazepines. With the present study, we highlight the impact that this dependence has on individuals’ lives, the difficulty of withdrawing these substances, and the lack of adequate responses in the national health system to deal with the problem. We came to the conclusion that the psychotherapeutic intervention is extremely important for the treatment of this phenomenon and that the prevention of these situations must be a priority.
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Despite recommendations, the number of benzodiazepine prescriptions has increased exponentially over the last 30 years.
“Despite recommendations, the number of prescriptions has increased exponentially over the last 30 years [17].”
From Cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy for the discontinuation of long-term benzodiazepine use in insomnia and anxiety disorders (2021) · cites this paper as [17]
The Pharmacological approach section says the number of benzodiazepine prescriptions increased exponentially and describes recommendations to limit prescribing. It gives the period as the past 20 years, however, not the 30 years claimed. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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References 44 · Cited by 4
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- Authors
- S. Anna Gandra, S., D Almeida, A. L., & M. Teixeira, Z.
- Venue
- Journal of Forensic Psychology
- Publisher
- Longdom Group
- Published
- 2019
- Volume
- 04
- Issue
- 02
- ISSN
- 2475-319X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2966515004
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Forensic Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
- Keywords
- benzodiazepine dependence, prescription drug misuse, benzodiazepine withdrawal, psychotherapeutic interventions, gradual dose reduction, addiction prevention
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