Benzodiazepines have been officially approved for use in the management of anxiety disorders since the 1960s. However, they have been gradually going out of favour in preference for medications such as quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic. The reason for this shift is due to concerns regarding risk of abuse, dependence, tolerance, withdrawal, sedation, cognitive impairment, psychomotor impairment and suicide-related overdose (Hirschtritt et al., 2021). Benzodiazepine prescription rate in Australia has reduced by 25%, between 1992 (27.7 defined daily doses per 1000 population) and 2011 (20.8 defined daily doses per 1000 population) (Islam et al., 2013). Much of this reduction may be appropriate in the context of reducing long-term benzodiazepine use for chronic insomnia and for those who have benzodiazepine addiction.
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