Treatment of Anxiety Disorders to Remission

Treating anxiety disorders to remission should be the goal of all practitioners. A remitted patientshould be well, both in symptoms and function, and be indistinguishable from a never-ill counterpart.The definition of remission in patients with anxiety disorders should also be clear, practical, and easyto use. It is useful to measure response in an objective way, such as with standardized instrumentsappropriate for the disorder, and to develop remission criteria specific to each disorder. This articleproposes remission criteria, using standardized measures, for 5 common anxiety disorders: panic disorder,social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumaticstress disorder.