What term describes a condition where a person with a stroke is unaware of their disability?

Anosognosia refers to a condition in which an individual is unaware of their own neurological deficits, often following a stroke. This phenomenon can occur when brain areas responsible for self-awareness and insight are damaged. Patients with anosognosia may deny their disability or have little recognition of how their stroke has affected their abilities, which can be particularly challenging in their rehabilitation.

Understanding anosognosia is essential for healthcare providers, as it impacts the approach to treatment and recovery planning. For instance, a patient with anosognosia may refuse assistance or therapy because they cannot acknowledge their need for it. Recognizing this condition helps caregivers provide appropriate interventions tailored to the individual's awareness level.

While other conditions such as hemiplegia and neglect syndrome also relate to stroke outcomes, they do not specifically describe the lack of awareness of one's own disabilities. Hemiplegia focuses on paralysis affecting one side of the body, and neglect syndrome refers to the inability to attend to one side of space, often due to damage in the right hemisphere, yet neither of these implies a lack of self-awareness like anosognosia does. Hypotonia relates to decreased muscle tone, unrelated to awareness of one's condition.