The road to recovery in panic disorder: response, remission, and relapse.

A standard set of definitions and criteria for the terms commonly used in panic disorder research is required to aid clinicians in their management of patients with panic disorder. Furthermore, the use of a simple, psychometrically sound assessment procedure such as the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, which considers all of the essential domains of panic disorder, will provide clinicians with an appropriate instrument for diagnosing and monitoring patients. The use of this more comprehensive scale for monitoring patients should alert clinicians to the reemergence of associated symptoms of panic disorder and allow for the rapid modification of treatment. By responding quickly to the recurrence of symptoms, a full relapse may be prevented.