For some people, the brain plays strange games. For around one in 50, according to Britain's National Health Service (NHS), people in their family, social and wider environment will remain 'unknown' and their voice, movements, clothing or hair among other things will become the helpful information to enable them to somehow recognise them. "Prosopagnosia", as the pathological inability to recognize faces is called, has attracted attention after the confession of the American actor, Brad Pitt, that this is possibly the reason why he has difficulty identifying even faces from his family.
"It is a neurological disorder that does not allow people to recognize faces or features of faces," he tells ygeiamou.gr and protothema.gr the Psychologist and Doctor of Medicine, Vassilis Kiosses and clarifies that the inability of the person to recall faces he knows should not be confused with memory problems as in cases of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases or other neurodegenerative diseases.
The face recognition can be developmental (congenital face recognition) or, more rarely, acquired.
Face recognition can be developmental (congenital face recognition) or, more rarely, acquired. While acquired is known to be caused by brain damage (e.g. stroke, injury or infection of the central nervous system), the available knowledge about developmental is limited. It is related to hereditary factors - especially first-degree kinship - but cannot be confirmed, according to Psychologist and Family Counselor Georgia Christina Kanellopoulou, who explains to ygeiamou.gr and protothema.gr that the definition and diagnosis of the disorder counts about twenty years. "Grandpa got old and forgets faces," someone would probably say in the last century.
Strangers in front of the mirror
"We understand that it directly affects the person's social interactions and can often lead to manifestations of social anxiety," explains Mr. Children with the congenital disorder will never develop the ability to recognise faces, while in cases of acquired face recognition the "deletion" will be permanent and without limits: the difficulty of recognition will include popular faces or even people in close proximity, intensifying the sufferer's distress. In some cases, the disorder will even prevent the person from recognizing himself in the mirror or photographs.
The effects are intense and extend to every aspect of life. According to Ms Kanellopoulou, it will affect interpersonal relationships, daily activities, leisure, studies, work or even sex life. As a "stranger among strangers", a person with face recognition may face difficulties even in orientation, not recognizing their neighborhood since they cannot identify their neighbors.
Sufferers and sympathizers in the management of the disorder
Logically, one would think, the Hollywood star was accused of being an epileptic and centrist, according to his statements. The general population's information about the neurological disorder is non-existent or incomplete. Little progress has been made by the scientific community, which is working intensively on the issue of face recognition to 'unlock' the mechanisms behind the disorder. According to the NHS, programmes to train people to improve their ability to recognise faces are already designed and 'running'.
As with any health issue, people with face recognition are on one side. On the other, there are partners, relatives and friends, people in the immediate and wider community who are called upon to manage the situation and bear their share of the burden. "Many will experience rejection, they will think why did he forget first or only me?", says Ms Kanellopoulou. Changes are inevitable and adaptation to the new situation is necessary.
They should accept that their appearance is not familiar and help people with the disorder to recognize them through other stimuli. Expect that simple activities such as watching a movie together will not be as before. Not just because people with face recognition are unable to identify the characters but because they generally find it difficult to focus their attention, the psychologist says. "They may have to be told who they are each time," she adds, warning of unpleasant "surprises" such as a startled reaction from the person with the disorder when they did not recognise who was sleeping next to them.
Those who are therefore empathetic and want to provide support should make an individual effort, either with the help of mental health professionals and, most importantly, set aside their often intense need for care. People with personhood do not want to feel sick.
Source: protothema.gr
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