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) be tween Serbia, Slovenia and Croa tia, the three countries of th e
Southwestern Balkans with varying degrees of socioeconomic development.
Study design: A academic investigator initiated, pharmacoepidemiological difference-in -difference time se ries analysis of
population exposure to benzodiazepines between the three, geogr aphically close Balkans countries (Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia) wi th
varying degrees of socioeconomic developmen t 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 Januar y 2014 to December 2018, compared to Slovenia, Serbia and
Croatia had higher DIDs, from 5 fold (Croatia) to 6 fold (Serbi a), for all benzodiazepines in total. By analyzing the differenc es-in-
difference, we have shown that influence of both time (month) and c ountry on DIDs is significant as well as their mutual intera ction
(the country × month) for all benzodiazepines in total.
Conclusion: Serbia and Croatia must implement exp licit measures of reduci ng benzodiazepine prescription in health primary
care based on evidence-based recommendations in the indicati ons 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 impr oving the structure of psyc hiatric professionals in healthcare settings, implicit
measures are not recommended for reducing pr escription, 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 stabilit
