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Chang Y, Xie X, Liu Y, Liu M, Zhang H. Exploring clinical applications and long-term effectiveness of benzodiazepines: An integrated perspective on mechanisms, imaging, and personalized medicine. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 173:116329. [PMID: 38401518 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Benzodiazepines have been long-established treatments for various conditions, including anxiety disorders and insomnia. Recent FDA warnings emphasize the risks of misuse and dependence associated with benzodiazepines. This article highlights their benefits and potential drawbacks from various perspectives. It achieves this by explaining how benzodiazepines work in terms of neuroendocrinology, immunomodulation, sleep, anxiety, cognition, and addiction, ultimately improving their clinical effectiveness. Benzodiazepines play a regulatory role in the HPA axis and impact various systems, including neuropeptide Y and cholecystokinin. Benzodiazepines can facilitate sleep-dependent memory consolidation by promoting spindle wave activity, but they can also lead to memory deficits in older individuals due to reduced slow-wave sleep. The cognitive effects of chronic benzodiazepines use remain uncertain; however, no adverse findings have been reported in clinical imaging studies. This article aims to comprehensively review the evidence on benzodiazepines therapy, emphasizing the need for more clinical studies, especially regarding long-term benzodiazepines use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiheng Chang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Xueting Xie
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Yudan Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Meichen Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
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Garbarino S, Lanteri P, Bragazzi NL, Gualerzi G, Riccò M. Occupational Injuries and Use of Benzodiazepines: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:629719. [PMID: 34054447 PMCID: PMC8155305 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.629719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Benzodiazepines have been widely used in clinical practice for over four decades and continue to be one of the most consumed and highly prescribed class of drugs available in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The literature indicates that Benzodiazepine users at a significantly increased risk of Motor Vehicle accidents compared to non-users but the impact on injuries at workplace is not well-defined. We aimed to investigate whether use of benzodiazepine is associated with increased risk of occupational injuries (OI). Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) among case controls, cross-sectional studies, either questionnaire or laboratory exams based. Results: A total of 13 studies met inclusion criteria, involving 324,168 OI from seven different countries, with an estimated occurrence of benzodiazepine positivity of 2.71% (95% CI 1.45–4.98). A total of 14 estimates were retrieved. Of them, 10 were based on laboratory analyses, three on institutional databases, while one study was based on questionnaires. Regarding the occupational groups, three estimates focused on commercial drivers (0.73%, 95% CI 0.12–4.30), that exhibited a reduced risk ratio for benzodiazepine positivity compared to other occupational groups (RR 0.109, 95% CI 0.063–0.187). Eventually, no increased risk for benzodiazepine positivity was identified, either from case control studies (OR 1.520, 95% CI 0.801–2.885, I2 76%), or cross sectional studies, when only laboratory based estimates were taken in account (OR 0.590, 95% CI 0.253–1.377, I2 63%). Conclusions: Even though benzodiazepines have the potential to increase injury rates among casual and chronic users, available evidence are insufficient to sustain this hypothesis, particularly when focusing on laboratory-based studies (i.e., studies the characterized the benzodiazepine immediately before the event).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Garbarino
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, and Maternal/Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Lanteri
- UOC Neurophysiopathology, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta," Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Giovanni Gualerzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Matteo Riccò
- AUSL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia-Department of Public Health, Service for Health and Safety in the Workplace, Reggio Emilia, Italy
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Huhtaniska S, Korkala I, Heikka T, Björnholm L, Lehtiniemi H, Hulkko AP, Moilanen J, Tohka J, Manjón J, Coupé P, Kiviniemi V, Isohanni M, Koponen H, Murray GK, Miettunen J, Jääskeläinen E. Antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use and brain morphology in schizophrenia and affective psychoses - Systematic reviews and birth cohort study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2018; 281:43-52. [PMID: 30219591 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this paper was to investigate differences in brain structure volumes between schizophrenia and affective psychoses, and whether cumulative lifetime antipsychotic or benzodiazepine doses relate to brain morphology in these groups. We conducted two systematic reviews on the topic and investigated 44 schizophrenia cases and 19 with affective psychoses from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The association between lifetime antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dose and brain MRI scans at the age of 43 was investigated using linear regression. Intracranial volume, sex, illness severity, and antipsychotic/benzodiazepine doses were used as covariates. There were no differences between the groups in brain structure volumes. In schizophrenia, after adjusting for benzodiazepine dose and symptoms, a negative association between lifetime antipsychotic dose and the nucleus accumbens volume remained. In affective psychoses, higher lifetime benzodiazepine dose associated with larger volumes of total gray matter and hippocampal volume after controlling for antipsychotic use and symptoms. It seems that in addition to antipsychotics, the severity of symptoms and benzodiazepine dose are also associated with brain structure volumes. These results suggest, that benzodiazepine effects should also be investigated also independently and not only as a confounder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Huhtaniska
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Finland.
| | - Iikka Korkala
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Tuomas Heikka
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Lassi Björnholm
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Heli Lehtiniemi
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Anja P Hulkko
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Jani Moilanen
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Jussi Tohka
- AI Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
| | - José Manjón
- Instituto de Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones Avanzadas (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
| | - Pierrick Coupé
- Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS (UMR 5800), PICTURA Research Group, France
| | - Vesa Kiviniemi
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
| | - Matti Isohanni
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
| | - Hannu Koponen
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Graham K Murray
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychiatry, United Kingdom; University of Cambridge, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, United Kingdom
| | - Jouko Miettunen
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Erika Jääskeläinen
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
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Penninkilampi R, Eslick GD. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Risk of Dementia Associated with Benzodiazepine Use, After Controlling for Protopathic Bias. CNS Drugs 2018; 32:485-497. [PMID: 29926372 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-018-0535-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Benzodiazepine use is highly prevalent in elderly and late middle-aged populations and may be associated with an increased risk of dementia. Observational studies have suggested that benzodiazepine use may increase the risk of dementia, however there have been significant concerns regarding protopathic bias in these studies, precluding conclusive findings. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to investigate the risk of dementia associated with the use of benzodiazepines in elderly patients, after controlling for protopathic bias. METHODS We identified observational studies with more than 50 cases, adequate assessment of benzodiazepine exposure, and reliable dementia diagnosis ascertainment, from the MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS and CENTRAL electronic databases through to 5 June 2018, with no language limits. The association of any current or former use of short- or long-acting benzodiazepines with incident dementia was analysed. A subgroup analysis was performed by the introduction of lag time to assess the effect of protopathic bias. We also performed analyses considering the effect of higher benzodiazepine cumulative doses and adjustment for psychiatric covariates. Study quality was investigated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS We identified 15 studies reported in 14 articles, involving 159,090 cases. Ever use of benzodiazepines was associated with a significantly increased risk of dementia [odds ratio (OR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.59]. Those studies that implemented the longest lag times of ≥ 5 years, and hence most likely to overcome protopathic bias, found a risk estimate that was marginally attenuated, but still significant (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14-1.48). Long-acting benzodiazepines were associated with a marginally higher magnitude risk (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.99-1.49) than short-acting benzodiazepines (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.26), although the former failed to reach statistical significance (p = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the association between benzodiazepine use and dementia incidence is not purely an artefact due to protopathic bias. Reduction of inappropriate benzodiazepine prescription is likely to attenuate dementia risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Penninkilampi
- The Whiteley-Martin Research Centre, Discipline of Surgery, Nepean Hospital, The University of Sydney, Level 3, Clinical Building, PO Box 63, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Guy D Eslick
- The Whiteley-Martin Research Centre, Discipline of Surgery, Nepean Hospital, The University of Sydney, Level 3, Clinical Building, PO Box 63, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
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Starcevic V. Benzodiazepines for anxiety disorders: maximising the benefits and minimising the risks. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1192/apt.bp.110.008631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
SummaryBenzodiazepines still play an important role in the management of anxiety disorders but dependence is associated with their therapeutic use. The key to effective and safe long-term use of benzodiazepines is: the careful selection of patients who might benefit from them; administration in clinical situations in which they are more likely to be beneficial; use of lower doses and in conjunction with an antidepressant, if possible; monitoring and managing their side-effects; and minimising the risk of withdrawal symptoms and relapse, mainly through tapering the dose and/or combining with effective psychological interventions.
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Huhtaniska S, Jääskeläinen E, Heikka T, Moilanen JS, Lehtiniemi H, Tohka J, Manjón JV, Coupé P, Björnholm L, Koponen H, Veijola J, Isohanni M, Kiviniemi V, Murray GK, Miettunen J. Long-term antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use and brain volume changes in schizophrenia: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2017; 266:73-82. [PMID: 28618327 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
High doses of antipsychotics have been associated with loss in cortical and total gray matter in schizophrenia. However, previous imaging studies have not taken benzodiazepine use into account, in spite of evidence suggesting adverse effects such as cognitive impairment and increased mortality. In this Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study, 69 controls and 38 individuals with schizophrenia underwent brain MRI at the ages of 34 and 43 years. At baseline, the average illness duration was over 10 years. Brain structures were delineated using an automated volumetry system, volBrain, and medication data on cumulative antipsychotic and benzodiazepine doses were collected using medical records and interviews. We used linear regression with intracranial volume and sex as covariates; illness severity was also taken into account. Though both medication doses associated to volumetric changes in subcortical structures, after adjusting for each other and the average PANSS total score, higher scan-interval antipsychotic dose associated only to volume increase in lateral ventricles and higher benzodiazepine dose associated with volume decrease in the caudate nucleus. To our knowledge, there are no previous studies reporting associations between benzodiazepine dose and brain structural changes. Further studies should focus on how these observations correspond to cognition and functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Huhtaniska
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland.
| | - Erika Jääskeläinen
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 26, FIN-90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Tuomas Heikka
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Jani S Moilanen
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 26, FIN-90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Heli Lehtiniemi
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Jussi Tohka
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - José V Manjón
- Instituto de Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones Avanzadas (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
| | - Pierrick Coupé
- Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS (UMR 5800), PICTURA Research Group, France
| | - Lassi Björnholm
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Hannu Koponen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, P.O. Box 22, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Veijola
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 26, FIN-90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Matti Isohanni
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 26, FIN-90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Vesa Kiviniemi
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 50, FIN-90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Graham K Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Box 189, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jouko Miettunen
- Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
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Starcevic V. The reappraisal of benzodiazepines in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders. Expert Rev Neurother 2014; 14:1275-86. [PMID: 25242262 DOI: 10.1586/14737175.2014.963057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Benzodiazepines (BDZs) continue to be shrouded in controversy, mainly because of dependence associated with their long-term use and some of their side effects. Despite treatment recommendations favoring newer antidepressants, BDZs are still commonly prescribed for anxiety and related disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that long-term use of BDZs for these conditions can be effective and safe and that BDZs can be combined with psychological therapy and antidepressants to produce optimal outcomes. Such findings, along with a failure to convincingly demonstrate the overall superiority of alternative pharmacotherapy for anxiety and related disorders, have given an impetus to a reconsideration of the role of BDZs. This article reviews BDZs and other pharmacotherapy options for anxiety and related disorders and suggests that treatment guidelines should acknowledge that BDZs can be used as first-line, long-term pharmacological treatment for panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladan Starcevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School - Nepean, University of Sydney, Nepean Hospital, PO Box 63; Penrith NSW 2751, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract
AIMS To re-examine various aspects of the benzodiazepines (BZDs), widely prescribed for 50 years, mainly to treat anxiety and insomnia. It is a descriptive review based on the Okey Lecture delivered at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, in November 2010. METHODS A search of the literature was carried out in the Medline, Embase and Cochrane Collaboration databases, using the codeword 'benzodiazepine(s)', alone and in conjunction with various terms such as 'dependence', 'abuse', etc. Further hand-searches were made based on the reference lists of key papers. As 60,000 references were found, this review is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the adverse effects, dependence and abuse. RESULTS Almost from their introduction the BZDs have been controversial, with polarized opinions, advocates pointing out their efficacy, tolerability and patient acceptability, opponents deprecating their adverse effects, dependence and abuse liability. More recently, the advent of alternative and usually safer medications has opened up the debate. The review noted a series of adverse effects that continued to cause concern, such as cognitive and psychomotor impairment. In addition, dependence and abuse remain as serious problems. Despite warnings and guidelines, usage of these drugs remains at a high level. The limitations in their use both as choice of therapy and with respect to conservative dosage and duration of use are highlighted. The distinction between low-dose 'iatrogenic' dependence and high-dose abuse/misuse is emphasized. CONCLUSIONS The practical problems with the benzodiazepines have persisted for 50 years, but have been ignored by many practitioners and almost all official bodies. The risk-benefit ratio of the benzodiazepines remains positive in most patients in the short term (2-4 weeks) but is unestablished beyond that time, due mainly to the difficulty in preventing short-term use from extending indefinitely with the risk of dependence. Other research issues include the possibility of long-term brain changes and evaluating the role of the benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil, in aiding withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm Lader
- Addiction Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to examine the place of anxiety disorders in contemporary psychiatry, its origins, and possible implications for the future of psychiatry. CONCLUSIONS Several factors have led psychiatry away from neuroses and anxiety disorders and towards depression as a social paradigm of distress: a perception that anxiety disorders have relatively little relevance, the decline of psychoanalysis and rise of biological psychiatry, the downfall of the benzodiazepines and a failure to replace them with better anxiolytics, and the development of newer antidepressants. The subsequent imposition of the rigid conceptual dichotomy between depression and anxiety strengthened a notion that the focus of psychiatry should be on the 'depression side' of this divide. Having promoted cognitive-behavioural therapy as the best treatment for anxiety disorders, clinical psychologists have largely 'taken over' the anxiety disorders from psychiatrists. It is suggested that psychiatrists' surrender of the anxiety disorders may have negative consequences for the future of psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladan Starcevic
- Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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10
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Andreescu C, Butters MA, Begley A, Rajji T, Wu M, Meltzer CC, Reynolds CF, Aizenstein H. Gray matter changes in late life depression--a structural MRI analysis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:2566-72. [PMID: 18075490 PMCID: PMC2872084 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Multiple brain morphometric changes have been reported in late-life depression (LLD), mostly in studies comparing volumes of circumscribed brain areas. The aim of our study is to characterize the volumetric changes of multiple gray matter regions in relation to age of onset/duration of illness. We predicted that the association of gray matter volumes with total duration of illness and age of onset would differ depending on whether the region was susceptible to the toxic effects of chronic exposure to cortisol or to the vascular/neurodegenerative changes accompanying prodromal dementia. Seventy-one elderly depressed subjects were studied along with thirty-two comparison subjects. High-resolution T1-weighted brain MRIs were processed using an automated labeling pathway technique. To protect against type-I error, we combined the right and left hemisphere volume data. We sampled 24 regions of interest (ROIs). We used the primary visual cortex volume to normalize for individual variations in brain size. LLD Subjects had smaller volumes than non-depressed subjects in 17 of the 24 examined ROIs. Shorter duration of illness and later age of onset was correlated with smaller volumes of parahippocampal area and parietal inferior area. A later age of onset was also correlated with smaller volumes of several frontal and temporal areas, cingulum, and putamen. Our findings support a dementia prodrome model more strongly than a toxic stress model in this group of subjects. However, it remains likely that both processes as well as other factors contribute to the heterogeneity of volumetric brain changes in LLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Andreescu
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Meryl A Butters
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amy Begley
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tarek Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Minjie Wu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Carolyn C Meltzer
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Departments of Radiology, Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Charles F Reynolds
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Howard Aizenstein
- The Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the John A Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Department of Bioengineering , University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Correspondence: Dr H Aizenstein, Department of Psychiatry and Bioengineering, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA, Tel: + 1 412 383 5452, Fax: + 1 412 383 5458, E-mail:
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11
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Abstract
Anxiety disorders are the most common of the psychiatric disorders and are also associated with significant economic costs and impaired work productivity. The first-line pharmacotherapy of pharmatherapy for a number of anxiety disorders comprises selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Benzodiazepines are still widely used for the treatment of several anxiety disorders. Although these agents are effective, many patients are treatment-refractory and more effective, better tolerated medications are required. This paper discusses the understandings of mechanisms involved in the anxiety disorders and reviews emerging medications. Mechanisms underlying the use of d-cycloserine, second generation antipsychotics and beta-blockers are particularly exciting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirvana S Pillay
- University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925, South Africa.
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12
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Barker MJ, Jackson M, Greenwood KM, Crowe SF. Cognitive effects of benzodiazepine use: a review. AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2006. [DOI: 10.1080/00050060310001707217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melinda J. Barker
- La Trobe University, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Martin Jackson
- La Trobe University, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Kenneth M. Greenwood
- La Trobe University, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Simon F. Crowe
- La Trobe University, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, VIC, 3086, Australia
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Current Awareness. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2000. [DOI: 10.1002/1099-1557(200007/08)9:4<341::aid-pds490>3.0.co;2-#] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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