Citation

Dell'Osso B, Albert U, Atti AR, Carmassi C, Carrà G, Cosci F, Del vecchio V, Di Nicola M, Ferrari S, Goracci A, Iasevoli F, Luciano M, Martinotti G, Nanni MG, Nivoli A, Pinna F, Poloni N, Pompili M, Sampogna G, Tarricone I, Tosato S, Volpe U, Fiorillo A. Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat. 2015; 11: 1885-1909.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Dove Press)

DOI

10.2147/NDT.S83130

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

More than half a century after their discovery, benzodiazepines (BDZs) still represent one of the largest and most widely prescribed groups of psychotropic compounds, not only in clinical psychiatry but also in the entire medical field. Over the last two decades, however, there has been an increased focus on the development of antidepressants and antipsychotics on the part of the pharmaceutical industry, clinicians, and researchers, with a reduced interest in BDZs, in spite of their widespread clinical use. As a consequence, many psychiatric residents, medical students, nurses, and other mental health professionals might receive poor academic teaching and training regarding these agents, and have the false impression that BDZs represent an outdated chapter in clinical psychopharmacology. However, recent advances in the field, including findings concerning epidemiology, addiction risk, and drug interactions, as well as the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition with related diagnostic changes, strongly encourage an updated appraisal of the use of BDZs in clinical practice. During a recent thematic event convened with the aim of approaching this topic in a critical manner, a group of young Italian psychiatrists attempted to highlight possible flaws in current teaching pathways, identify the main clinical pros and cons regarding current use of BDZs in clinical practice, and provide an updated overview of their use across specific clinical areas and patient populations. The main results are presented and discussed in this review. © 2015 Dell'Osso et al.

Language: en

Keywords

human; suicide; health education; Review; bipolar disorder; psychiatry; depression; psychosis; medical education; drug use; major depression; risk assessment; Benzodiazepines; posttraumatic stress disorder; risk factor; substance abuse; eating disorder; clinical practice; consultation; elderly care; anxiety disorder; sleep disorder; medical student; psychopharmacology; medical research; benzodiazepine derivative; borderline state; drug efficacy; risk benefit analysis; tardive dyskinesia; social phobia; akathisia; psychosomatic disorder; data analysis; dystonia; impulse control disorder; drug half life; medical information; drug response; obsessive compulsive disorder; drug potency; neuroleptic malignant syndrome; patient assessment; student attitude; clinical effectiveness; professional competence; professional knowledge; migrant; treatment resistant depression; Psychiatric clinical practice; Risks and benefits; Teaching issues