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.
A DNA Test Led Me to My Brother, and He Remembers the past I Never Lived
A DNA test was all it took to turn my world upside down. I remember staring at my computer screen, trying to make sense of the results. My mind said they were erroneous, but my heart… my heart instantly knew life wouldn’t be the same anymore.
I’m Billy, and up until a few days ago, I thought I was living the dream. I’m an only child, and my parents have always showered me with love and attention. They’ve given me everything I could ever want or need.
A boy standing in his house | Source: Midjourney
Just last week, my dad surprised me with the latest gaming console for no reason at all.
“What’s this for?” I asked, my eyes wide with excitement.
He just shrugged and smiled. “Do I need a reason to spoil my favorite son?”
“Your only son, you mean,” Mom grinned.
“All the more reason to spoil him!” Dad laughed, ruffling my hair.
That’s how it’s always been. Just the three of us living a perfect life. Perfect until I stumbled across a life-changing fact.
A young man sitting in his bedroom | Source: Midjourney
It all started the day I turned 18. I had decided to treat myself to one of those ancestry DNA tests. You know, the ones that tell you if you’re 2% Viking or whatever. I was just curious, nothing more. I never expected it to change my life.
I was literally jumping up and down the day the results came in. I kept refreshing my email every few minutes, waiting for that notification.
A person using a laptop | Source: Pexels
“Billy, honey, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep jumping like that,” Mom called from the kitchen.
“Sorry, Mom! I’m just really excited about my DNA results!”
Finally, the email arrived.
I could feel my heart pounding as I clicked on it. I was so excited, unaware that what I’d see next would change my life forever.
There, in black and white, was a notification of a close match. A brother. Daniel.
An upset young man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. It had to be a mistake! Right? I’m an only child. I’ve always been an only child.
In a daze, I picked up my phone and dialed the company’s helpline. Maybe there was some mix-up.
“Hello, how can I assist you today?” a cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, um, I just got my results and, uh, I think there might be a mistake?” I said, unsure if I was doing the right thing.
A young man talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“I can assure you, sir, our tests are 100% accurate. We double-check all results before sending them out.”
“Oh, alright,” I said. “Th-thank you.”
I hung up and looked at the results again. This couldn’t be happening. How could I have a brother I didn’t know about?
I needed answers, and I knew just who to ask.
That night, I waited up for Dad to get home from work. I rushed downstairs immediately I heard his car pull into the driveway.
A car driving on a street | Source: Pexels
I allowed him to enter the living room before I followed him inside.
“Hey, Dad? Can we talk for a sec?”
He looked up with a smile on his face. “Sure, kiddo. What’s on your mind?”
“So, uh, remember that DNA test I took?” I said, fidgeting with my shirt.
He nodded.
“Well, I got the results today and…” I paused, not sure how to continue. “Dad, do you know someone named Daniel?”
A young man talking to his father | Source: Midjourney
That was the point I knew something was not right. The look on Dad’s face changed in an instant. His eyes widened, and all the color drained from his cheeks.
“Where did you hear that name?” he asked, looking around to ensure Mom wasn’t around.
I told him about the test results. As I spoke, I watched his expressions change. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said something I wasn’t expecting.
A man sitting in his living room | Source: Midjourney
“Listen,” he said in a low voice, “don’t tell your mom about this, alright? She doesn’t know. I had an affair years ago. If she finds out, she’ll leave.”
I nodded, promising not to say anything. But as I returned to my room, something didn’t sit right.
Dad’s reaction seemed off. It was like there was more to the story than he was letting on.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept staring at the test results, wondering what to do next.
Should I… should I text him? I thought.
A young boy looking straight ahead, thinking | Source: Midjourney
Texting him meant I’d be going against my dad. But I couldn’t think of another way to find out the truth.
So, I immediately clicked on his profile and reached out to him.
To my surprise, he responded within half an hour.
Billy? Is it really you? I can’t believe it!
We exchanged a few messages, and before I knew it, we’d agreed to meet at a café the next day.
Was I doing the right thing by going behind my dad’s back?
A young man looking outside his window | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, I told Mom I was going out with my best friend and walked to the café. I didn’t have to do much to recognize Daniel. I immediately spotted him, and it felt like I was looking in a mirror.
He looked SO MUCH like me.
“Billy?” he asked, standing up.
I nodded, unable to speak. We sat down, and neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, Daniel broke the silence.
“You remember the lake by our old house?” he asked, smiling. “We’d swing on that old, rusty swing set and throw rocks into the water.”
A close-up shot of a young man | Source: Midjourney
“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I shook my head. “We never lived together.”
Daniel’s smile faded. “What do you mean? We lived together until we were five or six. Don’t you remember? And Scruffy, the dog, he’d follow us everywhere.”
I felt defensive. This guy was talking nonsense.
“My dad says you’re the affair child. I only found out about you days ago.”
“Wait… you think I’m the affair child?” He asked. “So, you don’t remember that day? The fire?”
“Fire?”
A close-up shot of a boy’s face | Source: Midjourney
He nodded. “Yeah, our house burned down when we were little. Our parents didn’t make it.”
“What?” I was shocked.
“Yeah, and I remember how you saved me. Afterward, you were adopted, and I was sent to some other family. The adoption process required me never reaching out.”
“That… that can’t be right,” I shook my head. “I’m not adopted. I would know if I was.”
“This is the truth, Billy,” he said. “I don’t know why your parents never told you anything.”
A young man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I felt confused and angry once our meeting ended.
How could Mom and Dad do this to me? I thought. How could they hide something so important?
When I got home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to know more.
So, I snuck into my dad’s office the next day while my parents were out. I felt guilty, but I had to know the truth.
After going through some old documents, I found something proving Daniel was right.
A person going through documents | Source: Pexels
It was a lawsuit about a fire at an apartment building. The same building Daniel told me about.
My hands shook as I read through the documents. The fire had started because of electrical issues in the building, and my adoptive parents were the owners. They ignored complaints about faulty wiring to avoid costly repairs.
Their negligence resulted in the fire that took my biological parents away from me.
What the… I thought. How is this even possible?
A young man standing in his house | Source: Midjourney
There were more documents, and they proved that I was indeed adopted. What hurt the most was that my adoptive parents hadn’t taken me in out of love or compassion. They’d done it to cover their tracks. To avoid a lawsuit.
At that point, I only wanted to do one thing. Confront my parents.
I waited until they got home that evening.
“I didn’t know you used to own this building,” I said, holding up the paper. “What happened with that fire?”
Dad’s eyebrows furrowed, but he tried his best to stay calm.
A man looking at his son | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, that?” he asked. “That was ages ago. It was a tragedy, really. But why are you looking into that? And why did you go into my office?”
I could see the fear in his eyes. I had never seen Dad so scared before.
“It’s just that I met someone who mentioned a fire,” I revealed. “They said we used to know each other before I was adopted.”
Dad’s eyes widened in shock.
A man standing in his living room | Source: Midjourney
He tried to stammer out an explanation. It was something about not wanting to dredge up painful memories.
But it was too late. I could see the truth written all over his face.
I rushed to my bedroom and packed my belongings. I was done. I couldn’t bear to be in that house anymore.
I called Daniel and asked if I could live with him for a few days, and he agreed.
I remember how Dad kept apologizing as I left the house, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
A man standing outside his house | Source: Midjourney
Daniel welcomed me into his house, and we had dinner together.
“They stole you from me,” he said as we ate. “From us.”
I didn’t know how to respond.
All I knew was that my whole life had been a lie, and the people I thought were my loving parents were actually the ones responsible for the death of my real parents.
But as I sat there, I realized this tragedy led me to a real connection. It made me meet my brother, who had been waiting for me all these years.
And I felt grateful for that.
A young man smiling | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: When David demanded a DNA test for their son, Amelia knew their marriage was on the edge. But what the results uncovered went far beyond paternity. It revealed a shocking twist that would forever alter David’s relationship with his mother.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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