? OBJECTIVE: To examine long-term social functioning in psychiatric patients with anxiety-depressive disorders and its relationship with personality and other factors. METHODS: Two hundred and ten patients (mean age 35 years) with severe mood disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder diagnosed with SCID were assessed at baseline using the Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS) and the Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale (ADRS); their social functioning was assessed 12 years later using the Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ). Their social functioning was assessed 12 years later using the Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ), and their personality status was reassessed using the PAS by a rater who did not know the initial personality status. The social functioning items were studied for those with and without PDs. RESULTS: Social functioning was significantly better for those with little or no PDs at baseline (p < 0.001), and intimacy, pressure to complete tasks, leisure time use, and family relationships showed the greatest differences between personality subgroups. Multiple regression models showed that self-assessed depression scores, solitary marital status, and personality status were the main baseline variables for social functioning at the expected 12-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment in social functioning persists despite the fact that personality traits may change over time; persistent impairment in social functioning in psychiatric disorders may be a strong indicator of PDs rather than an indicator of treatment difficulties.