The diagnosis of aphasia for actor Bruce Willis has put the condition in the spotlight. Here, researchers dispel some common myths.

Until recently, many Americans were unfamiliar with aphasia. Roughly 2 million people in the United States have aphasia, in various forms. The language disorder, whether mild or severe, can be debilitating. Willis’ recent diagnosis prompted his retirement from a decades-long career in film.

“Aphasia is a loss of language, not intellect.”

“Bruce Willis’ recent diagnosis of aphasia brings a much-needed spotlight to this communication disorder,” says Jacqueline Laures-Gore director of Georgia State University’s Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders Lab. “Public awareness of aphasia is poor despite a higher prevalence than Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.”

Laures-Gore and her colleagues are conducting research and developing novel interventions to improve communication options and treatments for aphasia. Here, she and Aimee Dietz, chair of Georgia State’s department of communication sciences and disorders and an aphasiology expert, offer some insight into the diagnosis and what it means: