Benzodiazepines May Double the Risk of Pneumonia

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An editorial in Thorax reviews the evidence for an association between mental illness, benzodiazepine use, and pneumonia. The authors find an equally augmented rate of pneumonia among schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and phobic anxiety disorders, and a 95% greater risk associated with recent benzodiazepine use.

Extract →

Quint, J., Brown, J.  Weighing Up Risk Factors for Pneumonia: the Role of Mental Illness and Benzodiazepine Use. Thorax. Online December 18, 2012

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Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole, MFT, founding editor of Mad in America, works in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a couples and family therapist. Inspired by Open Dialogue, he works as part of a team and consults with couples and families that have members identified as patients. His work in residential treatment — largely with severely traumatized and/or "psychotic" clients — led to an appreciation of the power and beauty of systemic philosophy and practice, as the alternative to the prevailing focus on individual pathology. A former film-maker, he has undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University, as well as an MFT degree from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. He is a doctoral candidate with the Taos Institute and the Free University of Brussels. You can reach him at [email protected].

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