A 4-6-year follow-up of 50 patients with primary dependence on sedative and hypnotic drugs
- 1 December 1984
- journal article
- Published by American Psychiatric Association Publishing in American Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 141 (12) , 1580-1582
- https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.141.12.1580
Abstract
The authors studied 50 of 55 patients originally hospitalized for primary sedative-hypnotic dependence 4-6 years after hospital discharge. Forty-two (84%) of the patients had resumed using sedative-hypnotics, 26 (52%) were abusing drugs at follow-up, and 21 (42%) had been readmitted for drug abuse. Three patients experienced delirious states and six experienced epileptic seizures associated with withdrawal. Physical signs of alcoholism had developed in 11 (22%); four (8%) had committed suicide. Social deterioration was noted in 24 patients. CAT scan results did not deviate from those found in a matched control sample.Keywords
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