HOLLYWOOD star Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with "frontotemporal dementia", but what exactly is the condition and is there any treatment?

 

Willis has not been well for some time?

The 67-year-old star of movies such as Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction and Armageddon, was last year confirmed to be suffering from aphasia, where a person struggles with their speech and language and makes mistakes with words or with stringing words together. It can leave some with either a limited ability to speak, or rob them of their voice entirely.

 

And now?

Willis’s family have released a new statement, saying: “Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

 

What is the condition?

As the family went on to note, FTD “is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone”. It is an uncommon type of dementia that causes problems with behaviour and language, affecting the front and sides of the brain - the frontal and temporal lobes. And while dementia mostly affects people over 65, FTD tends to start at a younger age. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45-65, although it can also affect younger or older people.

 

Willis likely had the condition for a while?

Reports of the final few years of his film career prior to his retirement have come to light, revealing he needed someone to read his lines to him through a earpiece as his symptoms deteriorated. In one of his last films, the 2022 movie White Elephant, crew members recall him saying: "Why am I here?"

 

So what are the signs?

As with other types of dementia, symptoms develop slowly and along with language struggles, they can include personality and behaviour changes – acting inappropriately or impulsively, appearing selfish or unsympathetic, neglecting personal hygiene, overeating, or loss of motivation and loss of memory. There may also be physical issues, such as slow or stiff movements. Accumulatively, these issues can make daily life increasingly challenging.

 

What are the treatments?

As the Willis family note in their statement, “today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead”. There's currently no cure for FTD or any treatment that will even help slow it down.

But there are approaches that can help control some of the symptoms, including medicines to address some of the behavioural issues or speech and language therapy to help communication and physiotherapy to help movement.

 

What now for Bruce?

The father-of-five is being cared for by his wife and children. They said: “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that - if he could today - he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families. "Ours is just one family with a loved one who suffers from FTD, and we encourage others facing it to seek out the wealth of information and support available through AFTD (@theaftd, theaftd.org). And for those of you who have been fortunate enough to not have any personal experience with FTD, we hope that you will take the time to learn about it, and support AFTD’s mission in whatever way you can."