What is the impact of comorbidity with mood disorders on prognosis of anxiety disorders?

• A. It worsens prognosis due to higher risk and greater impairment
• B. It can lead to improved treatment outcomes with combined therapy
• C. It has no effect on prognosis
• D. It guarantees spontaneous remission

Answer: (A)

When mood disorders occur with an anxiety disorder, the overall outlook tends to be worse. The added mood symptoms amplify distress, sleep problems, energy loss, and cognitive distortions, which increases functional impairment across work, relationships, and daily life. This makes anxiety harder to treat, often leading to longer illness duration, higher relapse risk, and a slower or less complete response to therapy. In short, the combined burden of anxiety and mood symptoms tends to yield a poorer prognosis than anxiety alone.

While integrated or more intense treatment can help some individuals, it does not erase the increased risk or guarantee remission. The idea that there would be no effect, or that symptoms would spontaneously remit on their own, is not supported by evidence.