Before concluding this section, it seems fitting to touch a bit more in-depth on the long-term prognosis for anxiety and panic disorders. In general, the prognosis for these disorders depends very much on the patient. Not only does the specific diagnosis and its severity come into play, but the willingness of the patient to seek treatment and to stick with it is also of the utmost importance. A patient with a severe anxiety disorder who finds and completes treatment will often have a better prognosis than a patient with a mild disorder who gives up on treatment.
Research shows that with proper treatment, assuming that a patient is compliant with treatment and makes a viable effort to recover, the long term prognosis for anxiety disorders is very good. The prospects for recovery are often excellent, and even in the absence of total recovery, treatment can offer a significant reduction in symptoms. Significant improvement is often seen in patients seeking treatment for even the most severe anxiety disorders, and most patients can see a vast improvement with only weeks or months of therapy. With that said, however, longer term therapy is often recommended for people with chronic or long term anxiety disorders.
With this in mind, let’s close this section by taking a deeper look at the prognosis for each of the anxiety disorders discussed in the first part of this book. Keep in mind that these are averages and that with treatment; you may see greater or lesser improvement in your symptoms.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The prognosis for patients with GAD is often very good. About fifty percent of patients receiving appropriate therapeutic treatment start to respond positively within about three weeks of starting the treatment. By about nine months, about eighty percent of patients experience improvement in their symptoms. The prognosis can depend on the severity of the condition as well as the willingness of the patient to comply with all parts of treatment.
Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Disorder
The prognosis for patients with social phobia who undergo appropriate treatment and are compliant is excellent. In fact, according to research done by the National Institute of Mental Health, about eighty percent of patients experience relief from symptoms or overcome their fears. This is certainly a very good prognosis and one that serves to indicate how important it is for people with social anxiety to seek out appropriate treatment.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a chronic condition, or one that can last for the patient’s lifetime. With this in mind, however, it is important to note that therapy can be highly effective. Studies show that about fifty percent of patients with OCD respond positively to therapy with a decrease in symptoms. About ten percent of patients recover entirely from their symptoms, and only ten percent seem to see a worsening in symptoms despite therapy. For patients with long-lasting OCD, long-term therapy can help offer greater benefit and symptom reduction or maintenance.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The prognosis for posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, depends on a large number of factors. In general, the prognosis for this disorder is certainly positive, with about thirty percent of patients eventually recovering completely with appropriate therapeutic treatment. Another forty percent of patients will recover almost fully, with only less intense symptoms still remaining. Factors that can influence the overall prognosis of a patient include ongoing stress levels and coping skills, substance abuse or use, the presence of a social support network, and the willingness to comply with and stay in treatment.
Acute Stress Disorder
The prognosis for acute stress disorder is generally excellent. In fact, a majority of people diagnosed with this condition recover completely. Only about one in ten people with the diagnosis see no improvement in their condition or an increase in severity, and studies show that behavioral therapy offered as soon as possible after the trauma can decrease the likelihood of the patient developing PTSD as a result by as much as twenty percent.
Agoraphobia and Specific Phobia
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the prognosis for people with agoraphobia (in the absence of panic disorder as an accompanying diagnosis) and specific phobias is excellent. In fact, some seventy five percent of patients with one of these diagnoses overcome their fears through treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Panic Disorder
The prognosis for people with panic disorder is often good, presuming they receive appropriate treatment. Between thirty and forty percent of patients become symptom free for extended periods of time, and another fifty percent of patients experience only mild symptoms that do not affect their daily lives in a significant manner.
Summary
Reading these prognoses should provide patients with anxiety and panic disorders with a good reason to seek treatment. Therapy can be remarkably effective at reducing or eliminating symptoms of these disorders, and in many cases can even do so on a long term or permanent basis. Recovery depends greatly on a willingness to comply with and continue treatment as long as needed as well as on treating any underlying or concurrent disorders. With the proper treatment, the prognosis for anxiety disorders is indeed a good one, and that is something that should provide patients with a great deal of hope.