Hollywood heart-throb Brad Pitt suffers from facial blindness. This is a neurological disorder that makes it difficult to recognize people's faces. In serious cases, sufferers can forget the face of a family member or even their own face. The little-known condition is called prosopagnosia. It affects about 1 in 40 people. It often leads to anxiety as people feel embarrassed in social situations when they forget who people are. Sufferers can avoid situations in which they will meet people. They may become withdrawn. In extreme cases, they will be reluctant to leave their home.

Brad Pitt, 58, has not been officially diagnosed with prosopagnosia. He said nobody believed him when he could not recall their name. They thought he was being "inaccessible and self-absorbed". He said: "People hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them." One strategy Pitt used was to ask acquaintances where he had met them before. However, he said that made the situation worse. He explained: "People were more offended.…You get this thing, like, 'You're being egotistical. You're being conceited.'" He hopes speaking about facial blindness will raise awareness of it.