IT was in 2022 when Hollywood star Bruce Willis was diagnosed with a psychological condition called aphasia. Giving a health update about his friend, actor Sylvester Stallone recently revealed that Willis is currently going through a though time. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Stallone said, "Bruce is going through some really, really difficult times. So he's been sort of incommunicado." He further noted that not speaking to Willis "kills me" and "it's so sad." 

The 67-year-old Die Hard fame actor first disclosed about his medical condition in March 2022. His family announced that Willis has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. 

"To Bruce's amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," the family released a statement.

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a medical condition which affects language cognition. Following acquired brain injury, a person's speech or language must be markedly compromised in one (or more) of the four aspects of communication in order to be diagnosed with aphasia. Aphasia can also be the result of brain tumors, brain infections, or neurodegenerative diseases.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Inability to comprehend language
  • Inability to pronounce, not due to muscle paralysis or weakness
  • Inability to speak spontaneously
  • Inability to form words
  • Inability to name objects (anomia)
  • Poor enunciation
  • Excessive creation and use of personal neologisms
  • Inability to repeat a phrase
  • Persistent repetition of one syllable, word, or phrase (stereotypies, recurrent/recurring utterances/speech automatism)
  • Paraphasia (substituting letters, syllables or words)
Treatment

Speech and language therapy is typically the suggested course of treatment for Aphasia. Aphasia gets better on its own without medication. A speech and language therapy team should be present if one is admitted to the hospital.