Severe Anxiety Prognosis

Anxiety disorders, such as social phobia, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, make up the most prevalent group of mental illnesses. Severe cases of anxiety disorders usually have a prognosis that encompasses the duration and comorbidity of the disorder, as well as other factors, like potential for treatment.

Development

• Some anxiety disorders may develop during childhood, such as social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while the onset of others may not occur until adolescence, early adulthood or even later, including panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Duration

• Many anxiety disorders are chronic, persisting over an individual's lifetime. Acute stress disorder (ASD), however, lasts a few days to a month following a stressful event, and 50 percent of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases resolve within three months following a trauma.

Degree

• With clinically-diagnosed anxiety disorders, most individuals experience fluctuation in symptom severity. For example, GAD and OCD symptoms can often be exacerbated by stress, while social phobias can disappear and reemerge depending on precipitating circumstances.

Comorbidity

• Over 50 percent of individuals with one anxiety disorder also have clinical symptoms of another anxiety disorder. Similarly, close to 60 percent of individuals with clinically-diagnosed anxiety also suffer from major depressive disorder.

Considerations

• Though often comorbid with depression, personality disorders, and substance abuse, anxiety disorders do show marked improvement with treatment. Both psychotherapy and medication have considerable success rates with minimizing and managing symptoms of anxiety disorders.