ArticlePsychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)2019
Benzodiazepine Use and Misuse Among Adults in the United States.
Article in Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 159 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
159 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 311 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prescribed benzodiazepines and suicidal behaviors: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and clinical implications.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the pharmacological management of substance dependence: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Guideline
- Comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on depression and anxiety in aging populations: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- A network meta-analysis of commercial Chinese polyherbal preparations for insomnia in the elderly: focusing on sleep quality and the neuro-immune axis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and risk factors for misuse of prescription psychotropic drug in patients with severe mental illness: A systematic review.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Risks of Motor Vehicle Crashes Associated with Psychiatric Disorders.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2023Pooled it
- Barriers and enablers for deprescribing benzodiazepine receptor agonists in older adults: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies using the theoretical domains framework.Implementation science : IS · 2022Pooled it
- The Effects of Benzodiazepine Use and Abuse on Cognition in the Elders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- The epidemiology of benzodiazepine misuse: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Pooled it
- Signals of Venous Thromboembolism Risk from Drug-Drug Interactions Involving Benzodiazepines and Other Sedative Hypnotics: Self-Controlled Case Series Analyses.Clinical drug investigation · 2026Article
- Benzodiazepines in Epilepsy: A US Perspective on Clinical Use, Pharmacology, Abuse Methods, and Public Health Considerations.Neurology and therapy · 2026Review
- Synaptic Adaptations in the Amygdala During Alprazolam Withdrawal: Insights from a Female Rat Model of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Demographic and clinical profiles of drug-induced psychosis: age, gender, and social context in a German cohort.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- A population-based study exploring racial and gender inequities in polysubstance-related deaths across the United States from 2004 to 2022.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Teneurin C-terminal associated peptide-1 attenuates chronic stress in male rats.Behavioural pharmacology · 2026Article
- Pharmacological principles for safe benzodiazepine and Z-drug dose reduction.Psychological medicine · 2026Review
- Comparative effects of diazepam administration and chronic sleep deprivation on cognitive function and biochemical markers in rats.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A comparison of opioid overdose risk behaviors by race and ethnicity among overdose survivors in Boston, MA, and San Francisco, CA.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- A Comparison of Opioid Overdose Risk Behaviors by Race and Ethnicity Among Overdose Survivors in Boston, MA, and San Francisco, CA.Research square · 2026Article
- Spotlight commentary: Addressing the persistent problem of benzodiazepine overuse, time for clinical, educational and AI-driven reform.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
99 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveGoals were to determine the prevalence of benzodiazepine use (as prescribed and misuse), characterize misuse, and examine variation by age.
methodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 2015 and 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data limited to adults ≥18 (N=86,186) and data from those respondents reporting benzodiazepine use (N=10,290). Measurements included past-year prescription benzodiazepine use and misuse ("any way a doctor did not direct"), substance use disorders, mental illness, and demographic characteristics. Misuse was compared between younger (18-49) and older (≥50) adults.
resultsA total of 30.6 million adults (12.6%) reported past-year benzodiazepine use-25.3 million (10.4%) as prescribed and 5.3 million (2.2%) misuse. Misuse accounted for 17.2% of overall use. Adults ages 50-64 had the highest prescribed use (12.9%). Those ages 18-25 had the highest misuse (5.2%), and those ages ≥65 had the lowest (.6%). Misuse and abuse of or dependence on prescription opioids or stimulants were strongly associated with benzodiazepine misuse. Benzodiazepine misuse without a prescription was the most common type of misuse, and a friend or relative was the most common source. Adults ages ≥50 were more likely than younger adults to use a benzodiazepine more often than prescribed and to use a benzodiazepine to help with sleep.
conclusionsBenzodiazepine use among U.S. adults was higher than previously reported, and misuse accounted for nearly 20% of use overall. Use by adults ages 50-64 now exceeds use by those ages ≥65. Patients also prescribed stimulants or opioids should be monitored for benzodiazepine misuse. Improved access to behavioral interventions for sleep or anxiety may reduce some misuse.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.