ABSTRACT
The large and regular increases in prescriptions for benzodiazepines and other tranquillizers that occurred during the late 1960s and early 1970s are well known. When benzodiazepines were first introduced they were accepted enthusiastically by the medical profession as highly effective and safe drugs which did not create dependence and which had few other side effects. Long-term users of tranquillizers report high levels of emotional distress. There is general agreement that long-term tranquillizer users, as compared with all users, are older and predominantly women. The research on long-term use of benzodiazepines and other psychotropic drugs points to the importance of studying the point of view of the drug users themselves. It has long been recognized that the great majority of patients with a psychological problem are treated in primary medical care settings, rather than by specialists; the prescription of a psychotropic drug is one of the most commonly used methods of treatment for such problems in that setting.
