Explained: Aphasia, the brain disorder that has forced Bruce Willis to quit acting
Bruce Willis is stepping down from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia. The brain disorder leads to problems with speaking, reading, writing, listening and typing
Hollywood star Bruce Willis will retire from his acting career because he has been diagnosed with aphasia, a not-so-known brain condition.
The 67-year-old actor’s family, including his wife Emma Heming-Willis and former wife Demi Moore, announced his condition on Instagram on Wednesday, saying it is “impacting his cognitive abilities”.
“With much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” his family wrote in a joint statement. “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support.”
What is aphasia that’s forcing the Die Hard actor to quit his career which spanned four decades?
Aphasia is a brain disorder that leads to problems with speaking, reading, writing, listening and typing. It can be caused by a stroke, tumour, head injury, or any other damage to the language centres of the brain. Brain infection or Alzheimer’s disease can trigger it, reports the news agency Associated Press.
The disorder is usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain. Speaking problems are common, leading to putting words together incorrectly.
For an actor, aphasia could pose a huge challenge depending on how severe it is, Johns Hopkins University cognitive scientist Brenda Rapp, who works with people with the condition, told AP.
“You can imagine how frustrating it is if you can’t find words, if you can’t organise words into sentences, if you can’t get your mouth to produce the sounds you want it to produce,” Rapp said. “You are still yourself… but you may not sound like yourself.”
What causes aphasia?
It’s mostly middle-aged or older people who get aphasia but it can also occur in children. Though the disease is little-known, America’s National Aphasia Association estimates two million Americans are affected and nearly 180,000 get the disorder every year.
For most, the cause is a stroke that cuts off blood to part of the brain. Without oxygen and nutrients, brain cells die, which leads to difficulty retrieving words.
How aphasia affects speech
There are two broad categories of aphasia: fluent and non-fluent, according to the US National Institute of Health, one of the world’s foremost medical research centres.
Damage to the temporal lobe of the brain may result in Wernicke’s aphasia, the most common type of fluent aphasia. People with Wernicke’s aphasia may speak in long, complete sentences that have no meaning, adding unnecessary words and even creating made-up words. They are unaware of their spoken mistakes, the NIH says.
The most common type of non-fluent aphasia is Broca’s aphasia, which causes damage that primarily affects the frontal lobe of the brain. Those suffering from it often have right-sided weakness or paralysis of the arm and leg because the frontal lobe is also important for motor movements. People with Broca’s aphasia may understand speech and know what they want to say, but they frequently speak in short phrases that are produced with great effort. They often omit small words like “is”, “and” and “the”.
Another type of aphasia, global aphasia, results from damage to extensive portions of the language areas of the brain. Individuals with global aphasia have severe communication difficulties and may be extremely limited in their ability to speak or comprehend language, the NIH says.
Willis’ family did not divulge details on a possible cause or the severity of his disorder.
Is there a treatment for aphasia?
Speech-language therapy is used to help patients regain their ability to communicate. The cause of the brain injury, the extent of it, and an individual’s health and age play a key part in recovery.
Aphasia therapy aims to improve a person’s ability to communicate by helping him or her to use remaining language abilities, restore language abilities as much as possible, and learn other ways of communicating, such as gestures, pictures, or the use of electronic devices, the NIH says.
Recent technologies like “virtual” speech pathologists give patients the option to receive therapy from the comfort of their homes. Speech-generating applications on mobiles provide an alternate way to communicate.
According to NIH, family involvement is a crucial component of aphasia treatment. Family members must find the best way to communicate with their loved ones.
Willis has five daughters, three with Moore and two with Heming-Willis.
He started his acting career in the early 1980s but shot to fame in 1988 after his performance as John McClane in the first Die Hard film.
His most popular films include Sixth Sense, Armageddon, and Pulp Fiction. He has been nominated for five Golden Globes, winning one for the ABC series Moonlighting, and three Emmys, winning two.
After the social media post, several actors reached out to Willis’ family. The news of the disorder is heartbreaking, but the family wrote, “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
With inputs from agencies
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