The aim of study was to establish the efficacy of CBT or short psychodynamic psychotherapy on non-selected and medication-resistant patients with anxiety disorders and to search for predictors of response.

Short psychodynamic psychotherapy or systematic CBT was tailored according the needs of each patient. Pharmacology treatment remained mainly unchanged during the trial period. Outcome measures were: Clinical Global Impression - Severity of Illness scale (CGI), Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The primary outcome measures were clinical response defined as 30% decrease in BAI and remission defined as a 1 or 2 points in CGI.

190 patients were included into the study and 15 dropped out. Altogether 175 patients completed at least 5 of 6 weeks of intensive psychotherapy program. Patients of all diagnostic groups showed significant improvement in CGI, BAI, BDI. At the end of the treatment 51.1% of the patients achieved clinical response and 42.3% clinical remission. The main characteristics present at the beginning of the trial increasing probability of achieving response or remission during the treatment were BAI score lower than 25, BDI score lower than 20, no comorbidity with personality disorder, no comorbid depression, no being divorced or widowed.

Therapeutic efficacy of the intensive psychotherapeutics programs for anxiety disorders was predicted with level of anxiety and depression, comorbidity with depression and personality disorders and marital status.