Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41284592›Full record

ArticlePsychotherapy and psychosomatics2025

Sustainability of Treatment Success 5 Years after Exposure-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders.

Andre Pittig, Ingmar Heinig, Volker Arolt, Christina Bartnick, Udo Dannlowski, Jürgen Deckert, Katharina Domschke, Thomas Fydrich, Stephan Goerigk, Alfons O Hamm and 16 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

26 authors.

Andre PittigTranslational Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, andre.pittig@uni-goettingen.de.
Ingmar HeinigInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Volker AroltInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Christina BartnickMental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Udo DannlowskiInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Jürgen DeckertCenter for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Katharina DomschkeDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Thomas FydrichDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Stephan GoerigkDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Alfons O HammDepartment of Psychology, Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Maike HollandtDepartment of Psychology, Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Tilo KircherDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Center for Mind Brain and Behavior - CMBB, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Katja KoelkebeckProtestant Hospital of the Bethel Foundation, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bielefeld University, Medical School and University Medical Center OWL, Bielefeld, Germany.
Ulrike LuekenGerman Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Berlin/Potsdam, Berlin, Germany.
Jürgen MargrafMental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Peter NeudeckProtect-AD Study Site Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Paul PauliDepartment of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Jan RichterDepartment of Psychology, Charlotte Fresenius Hochschule, University of Psychology, Munich, Germany.
Isabelle RidderbuschDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Center for Mind Brain and Behavior - CMBB, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Winfried RiefDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology and Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior - CMBB, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Silvia SchneiderFaculty of Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Benjamin StraubeDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Andreas StröhleDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Yunbo YangDepartment of Experimental Psychopathology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.
Hans-Ulrich WittchenPsychiatric University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Munich, Germany.
Jürgen HoyerInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, juergen.hoyer@tu-dresden.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAchieving sustainable success in the treatment of anxiety disorders remains a central objective in mental health care. Although research has demonstrated the short-term efficacy of psychotherapy, evidence regarding long-term sustainability is limited. This study examined treatment outcomes 5 years after prediction-error-based exposure therapy.

methodsFor 355 patients (616 eligible; 58% follow-up rate), newly collected follow-up data on anxiety symptoms and psychosocial functioning were compared to pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up data from a multicenter clinical trial characterized by high treatment fidelity.

resultsImprovements in anxiety symptoms and psychosocial functioning that were evident at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up were largely preserved after 5 years. No significant differences emerged between randomized groups of temporally intensified and non-intensified exposure. From 6 months to 5 years, overall remission rates remained stable, with the majority of patients exhibiting no reliable change in symptom severity. Reliable relapse occurred in 4.9% and reliable new remission in 6.5%. Most patients (63.4%) did not seek additional treatment. Among those who did, depression (64.2%) and anxiety (60.5%) were the most frequently cited reasons, although only a minority (6.0%) sought further treatment exclusively for anxiety. Additional treatment during the follow-up period was associated with higher symptom severity throughout assessments.

conclusionThese findings highlight the sustainability and long-term public health benefits of exposure-based CBT for anxiety disorders. Most patients do not need additional treatments for mental disorders even 5 years after treatment. Nevertheless, further efforts are needed to optimize interventions for those patients who do not achieve remission or experience relapse.

Indexed as

Anxiety disordersExposure therapyLong-term treatment outcome

Identifiers

PMID41284592
PMCPMC12705079

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