Long-term course and outcome of panic disorder.

The longitudinal course of panic disorder is an issue of critical clinical and research importance. For many patients, panic disorder may be a manifestation of an underlying, lifelong predisposition to anxiety with a chronic course, often requiring ongoing maintenance therapy. In this paper, we review some of the pertinent follow-up studies of patients with panic disorder treated with antidepressants, high-potency benzodiazepines, and cognitive behavior therapy, as well as data from longitudinal studies.