Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
Volume 182, Issue -, Pages 498-504Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.182.6.498
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Berzodiazepine withdrawal programmes have never been experimentally compared with a nonintervention control condition. Aims To evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of tapering off long-term benzodiazepine use in general practice, and to evaluate the value of additional group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Method A 3-month randomised, controlled trial was conducted in which 180 people attempting to discontinue long-term benzodiazepine use were assigned to tapering off plus group CBT, tapering off alone or usual care. Results Tapering off led to a significantly higher proportion of successful discontinuations than usual care (62% v. 21%). Adding group CBT did not increase the success rate (58% v. 62%). Neither successful discontinuation nor intervention type affected psychological functioning. Both tapering strategies showed good feasibility in general practice. Conclusions Tapering off is a feasible and effective way of discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine use in general practice. The addition of group CBT is of limited value.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available