ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders. Benzodiazepines belong to the group of anxiolytic sedatives and the most prescribed drugs in the world. The aim in ours study was to evaluate the differences in the exposure of the population to benzodiazepines (in period from 2014-2018) between Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia, the three countries of the Southwestern Balkans with varying degrees of socioeconomic development. STUDY DESIGN: A academic investigator initiated, pharmacoepidemiological difference-in-difference time series analysis of population exposure to benzodiazepines between the three, geographically close Balkans countries (Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia) with varying degrees of socioeconomic development has been carried out. Study was conducted as academic investigator initiated, in a retrospective manner on monthly basis international data set from January 2014 to December 2018. RESULTS: At the annual level, during the study period from January 2014 to December 2018, compared to Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia had higher DIDs, from 5 fold (Croatia) to 6 fold (Serbia), for all benzodiazepines in total. By analyzing the differences-in-difference, we have shown that influence of both time (month) and country on DIDs is significant as well as their mutual interaction (the country x month) for all benzodiazepines in total. CONCLUSION: Serbia and Croatia must implement explicit measures of reducing benzodiazepine prescription in health primary care based on evidence-based recommendations in the indications where general medicine practitioners/family doctors most commonly prescribe these medicines. Without providing a realistic supplement/alternative to benzodiazepines such as increasing the availability of psychotherapy and improving the structure of psychiatric professionals in healthcare settings, implicit measures are not recommended for reducing prescription, implementing accountability measures for prolonged prescription of benzodiazepines, and in particular for "masked" somatic diseases. All this comes to the fore by raising economic development and socioeconomic stability.
