OBJECTIVES: Anxiety disorders like Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are severe, chronic psychiatric disorders defined in DSM-IV-TR needing long-term treatment. However, they have been challenged as being created by physicians and pharmaceutical companies. Studies have shown that less than one-half received past year mental health treatment. Patient Reported Outcome evaluation is a useful way to evaluate the impairment caused by the diseases from the patient's perspective. METHODS: Two relapse prevention randomised clinical trials in SAD and GAD were used, excluding patients with other comorbidities. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-36, consisting of eight dimensions: Physical Functioning (PF), Role-physical Limitations (RP), Bodily Pain (BP), General Health (GH), Vitality (VT), Mental Health (MH), Role-emotional Limitations (RE) and Social Functioning (SF). Baseline SF-36 evaluations of patients with SAD or GAD were compared to the published general population norms. RESULTS: A total of 372 SAD patients and 333 GAD patients filled the SF-36 at baseline. The SAD population was mostly impaired on the mental dimensions compared to the general population norms, with differences up to three times the Minimal Clinical Important Difference (MCID): 50.4±18.6 vs. 60.9±21.0 (VT); 56.2±18.1 vs. 74.7±18.1 (MH); 56.6±40.1 vs. 81.3±33.0 (RE); 50.4±26.6 vs. 83.3±22.7 (SF). In the GAD population, all dimensions except PF were significantly impaired. For RP, GH, VT, MH, RE and SF the differences were up to 3 times the MCID: 53.4±41.3 vs. 82.0±34.0; 56.4±20.7 vs. 72.0±20.3; 35.3±18.6 vs. 60.9±21.0; 42.4±16.9 vs. 74.7±18.1; 29.9±36.0 vs. 81.3±33.0; 48.6±24.4 vs. 83.3±22.7, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: From the patient's perspective the impairment is severe, and differences with general population norms are comparable with other diseases such as Major Depressive Disorder or Diabetes. These results suggest the substantial unmet need for care should be considered seriously, especially in view of available effective treatments for SAD and GAD.