title: Still no evidence that benzodiazepines cause depression.
abstract: A large number of drugs have been implicated in causing depression by case reports and case series. For a few specific drugs, the association has subsequently been confirmed by appropriately designed studies. In other instances, a lack of substantiating evidence has lead to a gradual disappearance of concern about a potential association. The benzodiazepines represent a deviation from this pattern: they are widely believed to cause depression, but there is a lack of evidence to substantiate this claim. In DSM-IV, there is a category of mood disorder for drug-induced depression (substance-induced mood disorder), and the text of the manual specifically refers to benzodiazepines as a potential cause. Despite the apparently entrenched nature of this belief, there continues to be a lack of credible evidence that benzodiazepines can cause depression as a side effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Patten
keywords: Depressive disorder; benzodiazepines; chemically induced; substance induced mood disorder