The world learned Wednesday that Hollywood legend Bruce Willis, 67, will be retiring due to a diagnosis of aphasia, a potentially devastating condition that causes a person to lose communication skills.
Willis’ family announced that the condition would lead to the Die Hard star “walking away from a career that meant so much to him.”
About 1 million Americans suffer from the condition, the National Institutes of Health reports, and about 180,000 people are diagnosed with it each year.
It can manifest in a number of ways, and is most often the result of a head injury, stroke, tumor, or other deterioration in the brain.
Aphasia can also be devastating, with experts saying it causes depression in more than a third of cases, can lead to personality changes and can alienate friends and family from the affected person.
Other famous examples of aphasia include former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke.
Imagine that you have fallen into a country whose language you do not speak – you cannot understand, read, write or speak. “It’s going to affect all of your interactions — that’s what it’s like to feel aphasia,” Darlene Williamson, president of the Aphasia Society, told DailyMail.com.
While it’s impossible to say for Willis in particular how dramatically the condition affected him and his behavior, Williamson reported that it can often be devastating to patients.
“The consequences of living with a language impairment can change a person’s behavior and outlook on life,” Williamson said.
Approximately 35 percent of individuals with aphasia have some form of depression.
The cause of this condition, which is often some type of traumatic brain injury or stroke, can lead to massive personality shifts.
“[Aphasia is] Difficulty with language resulting from brain injury. The most common source is stroke…but it can come from any other kind of damage.”
Certain infections that affect the language centers in the brain can cause aphasia as well, along with cognitive decline and impairment associated with dementia.
The condition can make it very difficult for an actor like Willis to continue with his career, as just the act of speaking outside the lines can become a challenge.
“It’s definitely going to be tough,” Williamson said of trying to continue working while with the condition.
Aphasia affects language comprehension, speaking, as well as reading and writing. There are varying levels of severity which would be another determining factor. It may not be impossible, but acting requires additional facilities.
Dr. Raab said that despite the failure of communication caused by the condition, people with the condition still have the same thoughts, and are the same person internally. While the experience can be alienating, loved ones should remember that the person has not changed. Pictured: Willis with family and friends after a ‘roast’ event in 2018
There are four common types of aphasia that make up the vast majority of cases: fluent – often called Wernicke’s; Unloose – better known as Broca; anomaly. and primary progressive aphasia.
Raab explained that there are different forms of the subjunctive because each represents a different type of breakdown in the communication process.
Whether it is the ability to translate thoughts into appropriate words, the ability to physically pronounce words, or the ability to interpret and understand speech from others, every part of communication is a complex process, and even small brain damage can cause a problem.
While the condition causes a failure of communication, Rapp notes that the person himself is still the same.
Their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about their loved ones remain, even if it can be frustrating and frustrating for both the aphasia sufferer and those around them to deal with the condition.
Willis’ family has not disclosed what type he is facing, how severe the condition he is suffering from, or what is the root cause of the condition.
According to the stroke association, A UK-based group, those with Wernicke’s aphasia have the ability to string long sentences of words together, but often say things in a way that doesn’t make sense, or even use made-up words.
They will also have poor literacy, and may have difficulty understanding clear verbal communication towards them.
One example Raab used is that a person might misunderstand the sentence “John kicked the dog”.
Aphasia is often due to stroke, and it can manifest in many different ways, explains Dr. Brenda Raab, a cognitive scientist at Johns Hopkins University.
While the average person will clearly understand who kicked who in this scenario, someone dealing with this type of situation may have a hard time knowing if it was John or the dog who kicked.
Broca’s aphasia often causes a person to forget words or to put an appropriate string of words together even when their brain can fully comprehend what they want to say.
A person with this type of condition often uses simple and short sentences to communicate the speech because he is unable to say what he wants correctly at times.
The Stroke Association says that these sentences will often be about four words or less.
A person with Broca’s aphasia will have difficulty writing, but their ability to read is not affected.
A person with aphasia may struggle to find specific verbs and nouns that they need to get their point across, and they will speak very vaguely.
This may also translate to their writing, as they will not be able to generate the correct words needed to say what they would like to say.
Primary progressive aphasia destroys a person’s ability to communicate in almost every way.
A person with this version of the condition will have difficulty speaking, reading, and writing.
Their ability to process and understand someone speaking to them is also affected.
Doctors can often detect aphasia with either an MRI or CT scan, and they will be able to pinpoint the exact part of the brain that is causing the problem.
There is no way to completely fix or cure the condition, but patients often undergo speech therapy to help rebuild their language skills.
Not much progress [with medication for the condition]”The treatment for aphasia is speech therapy,” Raab said.
She noted that in some cases a person may undergo electrical stimulation therapy along with speech therapy in order to “get the most out” of the experience.
“Strong family support is an important part of living successfully with aphasia,” Williamson said.
However, it is not always permanent, and how long it lasts and how severe it is often depends on the extent of the damage to the brain.
Particularly stroke sufferers with aphasia can regain their speech, often in just a few weeks.
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