More than half of people who undergo cognitive behavioural therapy enjoy subsequent long-term relief from their anxiety disorder. | Photo: Karolina Grabowska / Pexels

Cognitive behavioural therapy helps against generalised anxiety disorders. But it’s still not clear how long its impact lasts. Long-term studies on its efficacy are difficult to organise, says Greta Helene Probst, a psychologist based at the Universities of Zurich and Kassel. But she has nevertheless conducted a survey of 93 people who had undergone therapy, and the results are encouraging: even two to eight years after therapy, well over half remain free of the constant worries and distress that characterise an anxiety disorder.

G. H. Probst et al.: Long-term efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: A 2–8-year follow-up of two randomized controlled trials. Behaviour Research and Therapy (2025)