Personality disorder and social anxiety predict delayed response in drug and behavioral treatment of panic disorder

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of pretreatment characteristics and personality disorders on the onset of response in the treatment of panic disorder. Methods: The data of 73 out-patients with panic disorder who had completed at least 6 weeks of a randomized trial of 24 weeks of either paroxetine only or paroxetine combined with cognitive group-therapy were analyzed in a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The likelihood of having responded to treatment (defined by a CGI rating of improvement) was more than twice as high for patients without a personality disorder or social phobia than for Patients with a personality disorder or social phobia. Conclusions: We suggest that patients with these characteristics do benefit from prolonged treatment, and they may profit from an additional treatment focused on social anxiety.