PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP-STUDY LASTING 2 YEARS IN PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER WITH AND WITHOUT DEPRESSIVE-DISORDERS

A group of 52 patients presenting at an outpatient unit for anxiety di sorders were included consecutively in a prospective 2-year follow-up study. Patients were administered to a structured interview for DSM-II I-R diagnoses, a follow-up interview (LIFE), and various other ratings . Sociodemographic and illness-history characteristics, levels of anxi ety and depressive symptoms, as well as psychosocial impairment, were evaluated at baseline and follow-up and compared between patients with panic disorder only and patients with panic disorder and concomitant depressive disorders at index assessment. Cross-sectional and longitud inal differences between patients with panic disorder only and patient s with panic disorder and concomitant depression have been found, indi cating that patients with comorbid conditions are more severely ill an d have a less favorable outcome. For the total sample, however, the 2- year outcome was better than that reported in many other follow-up stu dies.