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Abstract
The mood state, clinical symptoms, and personality structure were investigated in six female benzodiazepine-dependent patients before and during benzodiazepine tapering. Six age- and sex-matched benzodiazepine-naive volunteers were used as controls. Throughout detoxification the benzodiazepine addicts displayed significantly higher states of anxiety (p<0.01), depressivity (p<0.001), fatigue (p<0.001), and confusion (p<0.001) and lower vigour (p<0.001) than the healthy controls. No appreciable difference was seen in the latencies and amplitudes of event-related potentials (P300) between the patients and the controls. With regard to personality traits benzodiazepine addicts showed significantly higher levels of anxiety (p<0.001), depressivity (p<0.001), impulsivity (p<0.01), vulnerability (p<0.05), and insecurity (p<0.05) than the healthy controls. The negative mood change during early withdrawal and the neurotic personality trait structure of benzodiazepine-dependent patients should be taken into account when designing detoxification programmes for these patients.