Sedatives, Hypnotics, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder
What are Sedatives, Hypnotics, and Anxiolytics?
Sedative-hypnotic drugs — sometimes called “depressants” — and anxiolytic (antianxiety) drugs slow down the activity of the brain. Benzodiazepines (Ativan, Halcion, Librium, Valium, Xanax, Rohypnol) are the best known. Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder is a condition characterized by the harmful consequences of repeated use of sedative-like drugs, a pattern of compulsive use of sedative-like drugs, and (sometimes) physiological dependence on sedative-like drugs such as tolerance and/or withdrawal. This disorder is only diagnosed when the use of sedative-like drugs becomes persistent and causes significant academic, occupational, social or medical impairment. Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Intoxication causes significant psychological and social impairment (i.e., inappropriate sexual or aggressive behavior, mood lability, impaired judgment, impaired social or occupational functioning). This intoxication causes one or more of the following: slurred speech, incoordination, unsteady gait, nystagmus, impairment of attention/memory, stupor/coma.