Can Severe Anxiety And Panic Cause Permanent Brain Damage?

Video Transcript

Can Severe Anxiety And Panic Cause Permanent Brain Damage?

It’s our experience that severe anxiety and panic do not cause permanent brain damage, even though they can be powerful experiences.

For instance, anxiety and panic stress the body because of how anxiety and panic activate the stress response, otherwise known as the fight or flight response, which prepares the body for immediate emergency action.

While stress can affect the brain in many ways, these effects are reversible when you work to overcome your anxiety and stress issues.

For instance, stress can affect the:

• Hippocampus: the part of the brain primarily responsible for memory and learning. Chronic stress can inhibit the creation of new neurons in the hippocampus, which can reduce hippocampal volume, impairing learning and memory.

• Amygdala: the part of the brain primarily responsible for emotional responses, including fear. Chronic stress, such as from overly anxious behavior, can cause the amygdala to become overly active, which can increase its size, causing issues with emotional regulation, especially fear and anxiety management.

• Prefrontal cortex: the part of the brain primarily responsible for decision-making, self-control, and other executive functions. It’s also responsible for the “anxiety brake”, which is responsible for stopping fear messages from retriggering the amygdala. Stress suppresses the prefrontal cortex, which can also reduce brain prefrontal cortex volume, dramatically reducing its ability to perform these important “top down” executive functions.

To name a few.

Despite these changes, they don’t equate to permanent brain damage in the way that, for example, a stroke or traumatic brain injury might cause.

That’s because the brain is a highly adaptable organ, capable of great plasticity, meaning it can change and adapt over time.

These stress-induced changes can be reversed or mitigated with appropriate stress management strategies, lifestyle changes, and therapeutic interventions, especially behavioral therapy for anxiety and panic.

However, keep in mind untreated anxiety could lead to persistent brain changes and symptoms, so early treatment is key.

Remember, your brain is strong, adaptable, and capable of bouncing back from the effects of anxiety, panic, and stress. Overcoming anxiety disorder and panic can return your brain to its healthy state, so there is no reason to worry about permanent brain damage from severe anxiety and panic.

Many people have overcome severe anxiety disorder and panic and returned to their normal lives without lingering negative effects.

It's important to note that because each person is physiologically unique, the effects of stress will vary from person to person. Nevertheless, the body and brain are quite adaptable and can recover from the adverse effects of stress, including anxiety- and panic-caused stress.

Naturally, the sooner a person addresses their anxiety and stress issues, the less impact they have on the brain and recovery.

Working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist is the most effective way to overcome anxiety, chronic stress (hyperstimulation), and symptoms.