Let me guess, that info came from one of the anti-benzo sites? It has Heather Aston written all over it (doesn't she claim to have had the only benzodiazepine clinic?) Some of the info is true, namely exacerbation of underlying symptoms during tapering . But most of that info is pure rubbish. Benzos causing agoraphobia, IBS and panic attacks? Uhm, it's the other way around, they are used to
treat those symptoms.
This paragraph alone is utter nonsense (unless they're talking about recreational users which is a moot point when discussing therapeutic use of these medications.)
Chronic long term use of benzodiazepines is associated with an increased risk of impulsive, aggressive and violent behaviour. A study showed that 53% of long term benzodiazepine users showed violent characteristics where as only 5.3% of patients receiving psychotherapy developed violent or aggressive behavioural patterns.[70] Studies have shown that long term use of benzodiazepines is associated with causing depression as well as a markedly raised suicide risk as well as an overall increased mortality risk.[71][72] Daily users of benzodiazepines are also at a higher risk of experiencing psychotic symptomatology such as delusions and hallucinations.[73]