People are generally prescribed opiates, which are not considered psychiatric but a pain reliever, and can become addicted that way. Perhaps you're thinking about benzos, like Valium or xanax, that are both psychiatric, addictive, and whose abuse/withdrawal can be extremely lethal (especially with alcohol for an overdose combination). They are similar but have different problems. Benzos are more deadly but less life-destroying. Opiates are probably prescribed too much/for too long without patient monitoring.