The Online Medical Dictionary of Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB defines anosognosia as the “ignorance of the presence of disease (2003). The term comes from Greek in which nosos is the word for disease and gnosis is the word for knowledge. A literal translation is “to not know a disease” (TAC). It is the medical term used to describe a person’s impaired awareness or lack of insight into a disorder with which the person has been diagnosed. In other words, the individual does not recognize or believe they have the illness.
This condition, believed to be caused by damage to the right side of the brain, affects as many as 40 percent of those with bipolar disorder. It is of serious concern because it is why many of these individuals are not medication compliant.
Vicki, a member of the Forums on this Web site, shares, “There is a term for not believing that you are sick, anosognosia. It is a lot more than being in denial. This may be the reason that I'm not med compliant and really treatment resistant. I hear what they say but it all goes through a filter in my head, and comes out saying that they are wrong and I am right. As long as I can get away without taking meds then the better off I am. After all, I'm not really sick!”
References
Online Medical Dictionary. (2003). Anosognosia
Treatment Advocacy Center. (2003, October). Briefing Paper
Vicki. (2003, January 7). Anosognosia?
