What is prosopagnosia or face blindness, the condition affecting Brad Pitt, Shenaz Treasury?

The 58-year-old Hollywood actor Brad Pitt shared in a recent interview that he believes he has prosopagnosia or ‘face blindness’, a rare disorder where one cannot recognise people’s faces.

Though the actor has not been formally diagnosed with the condition, Brad Pitt says that he has a hard time remembering new people and recognising their faces.

Back home, Ishq Vishk actress Shenaz Treasury has also revealed that she is suffering from a condition called prosopagnosia. The actress revealed that she has been diagnosed with prosopagnosia 2 and cannot recognise faces but only recognise voices.

Elaborating more on the signs and symptoms of her condition, she took to Instagram and wrote that in this condition one fails to recognise a close friend or family member, especially when you weren’t expecting to see them. She further writes that it takes me a minute for her to register who the person is. Sometimes it is hard for her to recognise even a close friend whom she has not seen in a while.

Social media is now curious to know what exactly is this disorder and how it affects a person’s ability to function in their day-to-day lives.

What is prosopagnosia?

Prosopagnosia or ‘face blindness’, is a rare disorder where a person cannot recognise faces. According to National Health Service, UK, face blindness is a condition that affects people from birth and it persists throughout their lives. It is said that this condition can have a severe impact on one’s daily life. It is a consistent and recurring problem that does not go away.

People with face blindness may struggle to notice differences in faces of strangers. Others may even have a hard time recognising familiar faces. Prosopagnosia is estimated to affect about 2% of the general population. Normally, an individual can recognise and remember 5,000 plus faces throughout their lifetime.

However, people who suffer from prosopagnosia have difficulty recognising people’s faces out of context. To compensate for their deficit, patients use their other senses and cues such as voice, shapes, and anomalous contours of the face for recognition. However, the real challege lies when they have to recognise familiar faces in unfamiliar locations.

How many forms of prosopagnosia?

There are two main forms of prosopagnosia – acquired and developmental.

Acquired prosopagnosia is the result of some form of brain damage, including that caused by strokes, traumatic head injuries, or neurodegenerative medical conditions.

Developmental prosopagnosia is a lifelong condition that first presents in childhood. It is also known as congenital prosopagnosia. Developmental prosopagnosia likely has a genetic root.

How prosopagnosia affects lives?

People with minor prosopagnosia may just struggle to differentiate or identify faces of strangers or people they don’t know well. Those with moderate to severe face blindness may struggle to recognise faces of people they see regularly, including family members and close friends. In very severe cases, people with face blindness may not recognise their own faces.

This may cause social anxiety or depression. This condition has a psychological and social impact. Such patients complain of having trouble following shows on television or watch movies because they cannot visually keep track of characters. Prosopagnosia can be acquired or be hereditary.

In acquired cases, prosopagnosia can be caused by stroke, injury to the brain, or some neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases like Alzheimer disease, depression and Schizophrenia. In some cases, people are born with face blindness as a congenital disorder. In these cases, there seems to be a genetic link, as it runs in families.

There is no cure for face blindness. Treatment focuses on helping people with the condition find coping mechanisms to better identify individuals.

Symptoms of prosopagnosia

The primary symptom is an inability to recognise persons by their faces

Poor recognition of familiar individuals in person or in photographs

Confusion regarding recognising numerous characters in movies or plays

Feelings of disorientation in crowded locations

Difficulty distinguishing individuals wearing uniforms or similar clothing

Establishing identities through telltale clothing, hairstyles, jewelry, perfumes, or colognes

Refusal to greet individuals by name

Avoiding meeting new people.