Recently, actor Brad Pitt revealed in an interview that he suffers from prosopagnosia, a neurological disorder sometimes referred to as “facial blindness.” Dani Blum describes the disorder’s symptoms, underlying causes, and available treatments in a New York Times article.

Signs of prosopagnosia

A behavioral neurologist named Borna Bonakdarpour at Northwestern Medicine, claims that facial blindness, not color blindness or general vision impairment, is the main sign of prosopagnosia.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there is no connection between the illness and memory loss, vision problems, or learning difficulties. Blum contends that it is distinct from occasionally forgetting or having trouble finding the appropriate term.

The severity of prosopagnosia varies from person to person. It could be difficult for some people to recognize the face of a close friend or relative, while it might be difficult for others to recognize their own reflection. Also, not everyone may be able to distinguish faces from objects.

The loneliness and worry that are frequently associated with prosopagnosia may also lead to chronic anxiety or depression in those who have the illness, according to some studies.

Blum notes that some people avoid spending time with family members and other close friends out of concern that they won’t be able to relate to them or truly appreciate them. She notes that when one has prosopagnosia, navigating basic social relationships might be difficult.

In a recent interview with GQ, Pitt admitted that he has struggled to recognize people’s faces for years despite never having been officially diagnosed with prosopagnosia.

In fact, in a 2013 Esquire interview, Pitt admitted that he frequently felt the urge to distance himself from others due to his struggles with facial recognition. I stay at home because of that, he remarked.