Psychology Update — What It’s Like Living With Aphasia, Bruce Willis’s Condition

Posted May 9th, 2022 by David Berg & filed under Brain Structure and Function, Cognitive Psychology, Memory, Nervous System, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology Update, Stress and Health Psychology, Thinking, Language, and Intelligence.

TITLE

What It’s Like Living With Aphasia, Bruce Willis’s Condition

DESCRIPTION

As you may have already heard and/or read, Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with the condition known as aphasia. What is aphasia?

“Symptoms vary, but generally, aphasia affects people’s ability to speak or comprehend language. Speech, reading, writing, and the ability to listen can be affected. It often occurs suddenly after a stroke or other brain injury damages parts of the brain involved in language expression and comprehension. In other cases, known as primary progressive aphasia, the condition gets worse slowly over time, and patients may develop dementia-like symptoms.” This is a simple to understand comprehensive article that not only provides details regarding the disorder of aphasia but also the social and psychological issues and consequences of living with the condition. The article describes some possible routes to therapy, and importantly, what steps family and friends can take to aid the person experiencing the condition. It is important to note that psychologists as well as speech pathologists are often part of the treatment team working with the individual. This article is a good resource for those considering careers in this field.

SOURCE

Time, March 31, 2022, by Tara Law

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://time.com/6163559/aphasia-symptoms-bruce-willis/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm-term=health_medicine

(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/2p8zpk8v

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•What is aphasia? What are the symptoms and causes?

•What are the possible treatments for aphasia? Is recovery possible?

•Imagine that you are the Psychologist explaining aphasia to the family of Bruce Willis (or anyone who has presented with the disorder? How would you explain the disorder in terms of both brain function and everyday living in the social world?