加拿大 tertiary care 军事与退伍军人 PTSD 门诊的苯二氮䓬类处方模式：一项横断面研究

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry

Sec. Psychopharmacology

Volume 17 - 2026 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1931305

Reviewed by

2A

2 Anonymous reviewers

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry

Sec. Psychopharmacology

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of benzodiazepine prescribing among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identify patient- and practice-level correlates of benzodiazepine use, and examine the clinical rationale underlying prescribing decisions. We aimed to characterize real-world patterns and determinants of benzodiazepine use in a specialized tertiary care military and Veteran PTSD setting, where PTSD is often chronic and treatment-refractory, and to clarify the clinical factors associated with benzodiazepine prescribing. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using clinician-reported data from 13 psychiatrists practicing in Canadian tertiary care Operational Stress Injury clinics. Psychiatrists provided current prescribing information for 438 military personnel and Veterans receiving treatment for a primary diagnosis of PTSD. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations between patient and provider characteristics, treatment history, and benzodiazepine prescribing. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, and clinical site, and accounted for clustering at the provider level. Results: Benzodiazepines were prescribed to 22% of patients. Use was more frequent among patients with longer PTSD duration and greater cumulative pharmacotherapy exposure. Each additional year of PTSD was associated with a 12% increase in adjusted odds of benzodiazepine use (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06–1.18). Patients with ≥ 5 years of pharmacotherapy exposure had two- to three-fold greater odds compared with those treated < 5 years. Benzodiazepine monotherapy was rare (< 1%), with most use occurring in combination with other psychotropic medications. Conclusions: In these specialized clinics, benzodiazepine use was more common among patients with persistent illness and extensive treatment histories. These patterns suggest use occurs primarily in the context of chronic and complex care, underscoring the importance of clear clinical guidance for real-world practice.

Keywords

benzodiazepine, military, operational stress injury (OSI), Pharmacotherapy, psychotropics, PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder, veteran

Received

07 July 2026

Accepted

11 September 2026

Copyright

© 2026 Collins, Liu, Bilodeau, Burhan, Enns, Lavoie, Ein, Nazarov, Auger, Balderson, Mota, Wanklyn and Richardson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Jenny JW Liu

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.