NCJ Number
190818
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 36 Issue: 8 Dated: 2001 Pages: 1085-1109
Date Published
2001
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study of 99 outpatients being treated for alcohol and/or drug dependence and who were also using benzodiazepines (BZDs) determined the prevalence rates of DSM-III-R and ICD-10 substance dependence diagnoses; and the scalability, reliability, and validity of the scales of the Benzodiazepine Dependence Self-Report Questionnaire (Bendep-SRQ) were assessed.
Abstract
The study was conducted in 1995-96 at six community-based outpatient addiction centers in the Province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Criteria for inclusion in the study included actual BZD use, average frequency of BZD use of at least once a week, and between 17 and 70 years of age. The Bendep-SRQ was constructed at the Department of Psychiatry of the University Hospital Nijmegen, the Netherlands, with the aim of reflecting the severity of BZD dependence. Overall, BZD dependence was the most frequent diagnosis in the sample, ranging from 59 percent to 78 percent. For all types of substance dependence and combinations, the prevalence was significantly higher in the methadone users, indicating more serious polysubstance dependence in this subsample. The most important conclusion from the study was that the Bendep-SRQ was apparently suitable for practical use in daily outpatient addiction treatment, in order to become aware of the presence and severity of additional BZD dependence. 6 tables and 34 references