Actor Brad Pitt revealed in a recent interview that he suffers from prosopagnosia, a rare neurological disorder also known as “facial blindness.”
Dani Blum describes the disorder’s signs, causes, and remedies in an article for the New York Times.
Borna Bonakdarpour, a behavioral neurologist at Northwestern Medicine, claims that face blindness—not color blindness or general vision impairment—is the main symptom of prosopagnosia.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that there is no connection between the illness and memory loss, vision problems, or learning impairments.
Blum continues, “It is not the same as forgetting or occasionally having trouble finding the correct word.
The severity of prosopagnosia will differ from person to person.
For instance, some people might have problems identifying a familiar face, such as that of a close friend or relative, while others might have trouble identifying their own reflection.
Additionally, some people might not be able to distinguish between faces and objects.
Notably, some data indicates that individuals with prosopagnosia may have chronic anxiety or depression due to the loneliness and fear that are frequently associated with the illness.
Blum notes that some people avoid contact with family members and other loved ones out of concern that they won’t be able to properly recognize or acknowledge them.
“Navigating basic social relationships with prosopagnosia can become difficult,” she says.
Pitt admitted that he has trouble recognizing people’s faces for years in a recent interview with GQ, despite never having gotten a formal prosopagnosia diagnosis.
In fact, Pitt claimed in a 2013 interview with Esquire that his difficulty recognizing people’s appearances was so great that it frequently made him want to isolate himself.
He explained, “That’s why I stay at home.
What is the condition’s cause?
People who are diagnosed with prosopagnosia often fall into one of two categories: either they are born with it or they acquire it.
However, estimations reveal that as many as one in every 50 people may struggle with some lifetime form of the disorder, and experts hypothesize that it may run in families.
According to Blum, research “suggests that congenital, or lifelong, prosopagnosia is less prevalent.”
According to Andrey Stojic, director of general neurology at the Cleveland Clinic, children born with the illness “don’t seem to have any visible structural abnormality” in the brain.
Notably, doctors don’t fully understand what causes congenital prosopagnosia because there aren’t any obvious brain lesions in persons who have it.
In contrast, people who develop prosopagnosia later in life may have brain abnormalities brought on by a trauma or head injury.
According to Bonakdarpour, individuals can also develop prosopagnosia while dealing with Alzheimer’s illness or following a stroke.
What therapies are available for prosopagnosia?
Prosopagnosia is now untreatable, according to Bonakdarpour. The problem can be treated, though.
People who have the syndrome frequently attempt to distinguish between people by focusing on physical characteristics like hair color, gait, or voice.
‘He just has a giant brain,’ Paris Hilton reacted strongly to internet comments about her son’s head
Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum welcomed their first child together, Phoenix Barron, through a surrogate.
As expected, the reality TV star turned entrepreneur was over the moon to become a mother of a healthy baby boy.
And, as any mother out there, Hilton has been eager to share a photo of her no 9-month-old baby on the social media. On October 19, she posted a cute image of herself and her son with the caption, “My precious angel baby Phoenix’s first time in NYC.”
Sadly, however, people can be cruel at times and they don’t seem to spare anyone from criticism, especially celebrities.
Out of nowhere, the comment section under her post was filled with cruel words mocking the baby. Many of the remarks were focused on the toddler’s head size.
“You need to have your baby evaluated by a pediatric neurosurgeon, he has a pretty large fontanelle (soft spot) and macrocrania, he would likely need a MRI or US to rule out blockage of spinal fluid in his brain to be on the safe side,” one person wrote.
Added another: “Does he have encephalitis? Like what is actually going on I’m not trying to be rude that doesn’t seem normal.”
The comments Hilton received about the looks of her son were beyond cruel, and she decided to stand up for him.
On X, Hilton wrote, “Living life in the spotlight, comments are inevitable, but targeting my child, or anyone else’s for that matter, is unacceptable.
“This hurts my heart more deeply than words can describe,” the television personality said.
“I’ve worked hard to cultivate an environment that is all about love, respect, and acceptance, and I expect the same in return,” she continued.
“If I don’t post my baby, people assume I’m not a great mother, and if I do post him, there are some people who are cruel and hateful. I’m a proud working mom, and my baby is perfectly healthy, adorable and angelic.”
She ended the post by saying that she hopes that “people can treat one another with more kindness and empathy.”
Triggered by another mean comment on TikTok, Hilton explained, “There are some sick people in this world. My angel is perfectly healthy. And yes, of course, he has been to a doctor; he just has a large brain.”
Speaking to People, Hilton shared that she gets help from her family and loved ones in raising Phoenix Barron. “[My parents] are just so obsessed with him,” Hilton said. “I’m always calling my mom and my sister [Nicky Hilton] for advice, and I’m really lucky that I’m so close with my family, so I have such a big support group.”
We are so very sorry Hilton and her husband faced such negativity from people who don’t even know them.
No child, or any person in general, should ever be a subject of mocking and harassment.
Leave a Reply