prognosis
Last reviewed 01/2018
"About half of the neurotic patients identified by community door to door surveys recover within 3 months. Of those who attend general practitioners, about half recover in a year. Of those who are referred to psychiatrists, about half make a satisfactory improvement in four years. Prognosis is worse when the initial symptoms are severe, social problems are present which are likely to persist, the patient lacks social support and friendships and when the patient's personality is abnormal. Neuroses related to temporary events in people of robust personality are likely to improve quickly. There is an increased incidence of suicide in neurotic patients over the general population. It should be noted that there are differences in outcome between the different neurotic syndromes, obsessional neurosis having the worst prognosis." University of Oxford. Department of Psychiatry. Student Broadsheets 1991.