Long-term treatment with benzodiazepines: theoretical, ideological and practical aspects.

The prevalence of anxiety disorders in a psychiatric sense is 5-10%. If all available data are summed up, it seems evident that about half of these disorders have a prolonged, often chronic course, and thus require some form of long-term or continuous treatment. Accomplishment of long-term treatment will often be prevented by a general fear of dependence and abuse, risk factors that have been strongly emphasized. General restrictivity has also been urged regarding the dosage level, often resulting in a sub-optimal treatment, more harmful than beneficial to the patient. The prescription figures for anxiolytics in relation to the prevalence and course of anxiety disorders do not suggest an unreasonably high prescription rate, on the contrary, the prescribed amount would not be sufficient for treating more than 2.5% of the population.