Cross-National Study of the Extent of Anti-Anxiety/Sedative Drug Use

Abstract

National samples of respondents in nine Western European countries were asked identical questions about their use of anti-anxiety/sedative drugs during the past year and about their general attitude toward tranquilizers. The proportion of persons who used anti-anxiety/sedative drugs on one or more occasions varied from 17 per cent in Belgium and France to 10 per cent in Spain. In almost every country the percentage of females who had used anti-anxiety/sedative drugs was approximately twice that of males. Persons 45 years of age and over were over-represented among drug users in all countries in relation to their presence in the national population. The rank order of the countries on attitude toward tranquilizers was poorly correlated with rank order on use rates. However, within each country there was a sharp difference in attitude between users and nonusers. Independent data place the United States in a middle position among the nine countries surveyed on use of anti-anxiety/sedative drugs. (N Engl J Med 290:769–774, 1974)