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Brad Pitt says he suffers from facial blindness

Brad Pitt - Level 4

Movie star Brad Pitt has facial blindness. This is a neurological disorder that makes it difficult to recognize people's faces. Sufferers can forget the face of a family member or their own face. The condition is called prosopagnosia. It affects about 1 in 40 people. It causes anxiety in social situations. Sufferers avoid situations in which they will meet people. They may become withdrawn. In extreme cases, they may not leave their home.

Brad Pitt, 58, has not been diagnosed with prosopagnosia. He said nobody believed him when he could not remember their name. He said: "People hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them." One strategy he used was to ask people where he had met them before. However, this made things worse. He explained: "People were more offended.…like 'You're being egotistical.'" Pitt hopes speaking about facial blindness will raise awareness of it.

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Brad Pitt - Level 5

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 They may become withdrawn.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.

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Brad Pitt - Level 6

Hollywood heart-throb Brad Pitt has revealed he suffers from facial blindness. This is a neurological disorder that causes people to find it difficult to recognize people's faces. In more serious cases, sufferers can draw a blank when seeing the face of a family member or even one's own face. The condition is called prosopagnosia. It is a little-known ailment that afflicts about 1 in 40 people. It often triggers anxiety as people feel embarrassed in social situations when they struggle to remember who people are. Sufferers tend to avoid situations in which they will meet people, and as a result become withdrawn. In extreme cases, they will be reluctant to leave their home.

Brad Pitt, 58, says he has not been officially diagnosed with prosopagnosia. He first spoke about it in 2013. He said nobody believed him when he could not recall their name. He worried that people thought he was being "aloof, inaccessible and self-absorbed". He said: "People hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them." He said he has used many strategies to get around his lack of recall. He asked acquaintances where he had met them before, but 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.

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