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anosognosia

anosognosia

1 9.9
Not knowing you are ill or cannot use part of your body
  • noun
  • /ˌænəsoʊɡˈnoʊziə/
  • Specialized
: anosognosia
  • Dickens' apparent indifference to his problems might be due to anosognosia, a frequent occurrence in right hemisphere damage, particularly parietal lesions.

Examples

  • He also seemed to be unaware of the seriousness of his symptoms, which suggests some form of anosognosia.

    Academic text (2001)
  • We now have substantial research on anosognosia, the lack of awareness of being ill that accounts for many people with psychotic illnesses not receiving treatment.

    Blog text (11)
  • Anosognosia is one of the most enigmatic disorders... that follows brain injury.

  • For these same reasons, though, this moral anosognosia is increasingly dangerous as it both causes and contributes to an impending crisis of too much caring.

    Academic text (2014)
  • 36. Anosognosia arises as a result of temporary cortical dysfunction, as in Wada testing, when it affects the left side of the body in particular.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Patients diagnosed with anosognosia often do not realize they have a serious illness.

  • The therapist explained that anosognosia can prevent individuals from seeking necessary medical help.

  • During the evaluation, it became clear that he was experiencing anosognosia, as he denied having any health issues despite clear evidence.

Synonyms

obliviousness
vsanosognosia
3 7.4

Not noticing things happening around you

is medical unawareness about own illness or disability
unawareness
vsanosognosia
2 5.4

Not knowing or noticing something

is a medical lack of awareness of own illness or disability
unknowingness
vsanosognosia
1 8.6

Being unaware of something

is the medical inability to recognize own illness or disability
noncognizance
vsanosognosia
9.9

Not being aware of a fact or change

is medical unawareness of own illness or disability

Antonyms

380 3.2

Knowing about something or noticing it

Surface Forms

anosognosia singular
anosognosias plural

Morphology

anosognosia = an + noso + gnosis + ia

A technical medical term built from Greek combining forms (an- 'not', noso- 'disease', -gnosis 'knowledge') that are not productive or familiar to average B1 learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

Anosognosia comes from Greek parts: a- 'not', nosos 'disease', and gnosis 'knowledge', and you can see gnosis in the word diagnosis, which means finding out a disease. So, anosognosia literally means 'not knowing a disease', which explains why it describes someone who is unaware of their own illness or disability.