Recurrence and recovery were defined in two ways:
- Narrow – occurrence of the index anxiety disorder only at follow-up
- Broad – occurrence of any mental disorder, including the index anxiety disorder at follow-up
Recovery rate at the 3-year follow-up was 79.5% using the narrow definition and 61.8% using the broad definition. Rates of anxiety disorder persistence at 9-year follow-up were three times higher for the broad definition vs the narrow definition (15.5% vs 4.5%).
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