Prosopagnosia: A Disorder that Made Brad Pitt Forget the Faces 

Prosopagnosia or Face blindness is when people are unable to recognize the faces of the people they saw earlier or meet a long time ago. In severe cases, they fail to recognize their own face in the mirror. 
Brad Pitt in his recent interview with GQ magazine made this shocking revelation. He struggles to remember new people's faces and maybe he is suffering from Prosopagnosia. 
Many of you might be suffering from this in silence, not knowing that it is a disorder. 
Today we are going to shed some light on this rare disorder, its symptoms, and its treatment. 

What is Prosopagnosia?

Prosopagnosia or face blindness is a condition in which you are unable to recognize the faces of people you meet recently or a long time ago. 
In some cases, you forget to recognize the face of a person you meet frequently. And in severe cases, you struggle to remember the face of your friends or even a family member. It happens when you have a distant contact with them. 
The last stage is so bad that you are unable to recognize your face in the mirror. 

Symptoms of Prosopagnosia- 

 • Difficulty recognizing people's faces 
 • Avoid new people due to the struggle of remembering new faces 
 • Difficulty remembering characters in the movies and series 
 • Unable to recognize the faces of familiar people in the photograph 
 • They recognize other people through their hairstyle, and dressing sense but not with their     faces 

Causes- 

Prosopagnosia is not a cognitive-related problem. It is caused when a problem within the fusiform gyrus part of the brain occurs. It is located in the occipital and temporal lobes. 
Both these lobes help in the process of visual perception, face recognition, and memory formation. 
Joseph DeGutis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said 
'There are two types of Prosopagnosia"- 
 • Acquired Prosopagnosia- It is acquired through brain damage due to stroke, head injury, tumor, and neurodegenerative disorder. 
 • Congenital Prosopagnosia- It is developmental or genetic. Brad Pitt is likely to suffer from this version. 

Diagnosis- 

Neurologists recommend some tests to measure facial recognition ability. 
Two tests are- 
 • Test to recognize familiar faces such as your distant friends and celebrities 
 • The second test measures facial learning ability. Before the test your doctor shows you some unfamiliar faces, and during the test, you have to recognize them 

The standard test that measures facial learning ability 
 • Warrington Recognition Memory for Faces 
 • Benton Facial Recognition Test 
In a Brain injury case doctor suggest MRI or CT Scan to check the underlying cause. 

Treatment for Prosopagnosia- 

There is no standard treatment for this disorder. Although, some cognitive therapies help improving facial recognition abilities. 

Famous People Who are Suffering from Face Blindness- 

Brad Pitt is not alone with this disease. Other famous people who are suffering from Face Blindness are
Bollywood Actress Shehnaz Treasury recently discussed her condition on Instagram 
Stephen Fry actor, writer, and activist appeared in famous movies like V for Vendetta, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows suffering from face blindness. 
Victoria: A Crown Princess of Sweden is also dealing with this condition.