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Original ArticleOpen Access
Prevalence of Benzodiazepines Misuse in Ubon Ratchathani Province Thailand
Puangkot S 
,
Laohasiriwong W ,
Saengsuwan J ,
Chiawiriyabunya I
,
Laohasiriwong W ,
Saengsuwan J ,
Chiawiriyabunya I Background: Benzodiazepines misuse, abuse, and dependence is becoming a new problem in medicine used in Thailand.
Objective: Study the prevalence of benzodiazepines use, misuse, abuse, and dependence in Ubon Ratchathani provinceThailand.
Material and Method: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted between October 2008 and June 2009. The targetpopulation were the people age 15 and above. A sample size of 2,280 was selected from three stage stratified randomsampling. Benzodiazepines were identified with generic name and drug characteristics. The DSM-IV questionnaires wereused to define misuse, abuse, and dependence. Dependence was interpreted with judgment of a psychiatric nurse. Forstatistical analyses, prevalence was estimated with weight adjustment, variances estimated by Teylor Series Linearizationmethod, and interpreted with 95% CI.
Results: There were 46,805 current users [3.9% (95% CI: 2.2-6.4)], 26,404 misuser [2.2% (95% CI: 1.6-6.2)], 7,203abuser [0.6% (95% CI: 0.1-4.1)] and 2,402 dependent [0.2% (95% CI: 0.1-9.2)]. When considering the group of currentuser, the results showed that 57.2% of this group misused, 16.6% abused and 5.9% were dependent.
Conclusion: Prevalence of use was higher than previously reported in Thailand while more than half of the current usersmisused. Surveillance of misuse should be done in the group of current user. Medical professional should give recommendationsto patients, focusing on harm of misuse. Furthermore, they should limit the amount of medicine when it is necessary todispense.
Keywords: Benzodiazepines (BZDs), Misuse, Abuse, Dependence, Prevalence
Objective: Study the prevalence of benzodiazepines use, misuse, abuse, and dependence in Ubon Ratchathani provinceThailand.
Material and Method: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted between October 2008 and June 2009. The targetpopulation were the people age 15 and above. A sample size of 2,280 was selected from three stage stratified randomsampling. Benzodiazepines were identified with generic name and drug characteristics. The DSM-IV questionnaires wereused to define misuse, abuse, and dependence. Dependence was interpreted with judgment of a psychiatric nurse. Forstatistical analyses, prevalence was estimated with weight adjustment, variances estimated by Teylor Series Linearizationmethod, and interpreted with 95% CI.
Results: There were 46,805 current users [3.9% (95% CI: 2.2-6.4)], 26,404 misuser [2.2% (95% CI: 1.6-6.2)], 7,203abuser [0.6% (95% CI: 0.1-4.1)] and 2,402 dependent [0.2% (95% CI: 0.1-9.2)]. When considering the group of currentuser, the results showed that 57.2% of this group misused, 16.6% abused and 5.9% were dependent.
Conclusion: Prevalence of use was higher than previously reported in Thailand while more than half of the current usersmisused. Surveillance of misuse should be done in the group of current user. Medical professional should give recommendationsto patients, focusing on harm of misuse. Furthermore, they should limit the amount of medicine when it is necessary todispense.
Keywords: Benzodiazepines (BZDs), Misuse, Abuse, Dependence, Prevalence
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