Use of Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Drugs in Scandinavian Countries between 2006 and 2021: A Prescription Database Study

Table 6

Timeline of specific recommendations or regulations in Scandinavian countries on the use of psychotropic drugs.

Country	Year	Recommendations or regulations
Norway	1990	Guide to the prescription of addictive drugs
	2001	Revised guide on addictive drugs. Prescribing and justification, only in electronic format
	2003	Restriction in the prescription status from group B (addictive) to A (highly addictive) for flunitrazepam
	2014	Guide to the prescription of addictive drugs
	2021	The guide replaces the following guides: National Professional Guide for addictive drugs 2014—requisition and professional soundness and national professional guide for the use of opioids for long-term noncancer-related pain.; The main lines of the professional recommendations for symptom-relieving treatment with benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine-like drugs, and opioids are continued. The new guide is concise and more user-friendly than previous versions. The guide gives a reminder to treating physicians that there is room for quality improvements both in treatment choices and in follow-up of patients with especially anxiety, sleep problems, or long-term pain conditions that are not due to cancer.
Sweden	2004	National Indicators for Quality of Drug Therapy in Older Persons (National Board of Health and Welfare).; Long-acting benzodiazepines should be avoided in persons aged ≥70 years.
	2006	Treatment recommendations for anxiety (Swedish Medical Products Agency).; Benzodiazepines to be avoided in anxiety disorders (Swedish Medical Products Agency)
	2009-2010	National guidelines for treatment for depression and anxiety (National Board of Health and Welfare).; Recommends benzodiazepines as the last treatment option and should only be used as short-term treatment.
	2017	New national guidelines for treatment for depression and anxiety (National Board of Health and Welfare).; Benzodiazepines should not be used to treat GAD, anxiety disorders, PTSD, etc.
Denmark	1980	The first guideline on the prescription of drugs drug causing dependency (benzodiazepines, opioids, and psychostimulants)
	2003	Ministerial initiatives on surveillance of benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine-related drugs
	2008	Guidelines on the prescription of drugs causing dependency—updated. Focus on benzodiazepines and driving
	2010	Guideline on anxiety disorders for general practitioners—treatment with benzodiazepines should be not a first-line treatment and preferably for short-term treatment.
	2014	Guideline on treatment with antipsychotic drugs to individuals older than 18 years with psychotic disorders. Treatment with benzodiazepines for agitation should be of short duration. A combination of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines should be avoided due to the increased risk of death.
	2017	Electronic prescriptions for addictive drugs preferred (benzodiazepines, opioids, etc.)
	2018	Only electronic prescriptions allowed for addictive drugs