Takano A, Ono S, Yamana H, et al. – Via performing a retrospective cohort study that used a health insurance database in Japan, researchers intended to examine the proportion of long-term benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (BZD; safer than old sedative-hypnotics) prescriptions and its risk factors. A total of 86,909 adults were identified as outpatients (aged 18-65 years) who started BZD between October 1, 2012, and April 1, 2015. In all, 9.0% of new BZD users were consecutively prescribed BZD for ≥ 8 months. Long-term prescription was significantly linked to mood and neurotic disorder, cancer, prescription by psychiatrists, multiple prescriptions, hypnotics and medium half-life BZD in the initial prescription. When prescribing BZDs for the first time, the authors noted that doctors should be cognizant of risk factors.