Unawareness in brain disorders: a complex and multifaceted phenomenon

Abstract

Unawareness of the diseases or its consequences can be a protective mechanism against a traumatic event. However, it can also result in dangerous behaviors and hamper the care management. Still not well understood, unawareness is a very complex and multidimensional construct involving neurological, neuropsychological, psychopathological and psychosocial dimensions. Sometimes considered to be a categorical phenomenon, unawareness is actually partial and dimensional. Nevertheless, no or only weak correlation are found between the results of various methods used to its assessment. We propose that the usual opposition between neurological (anosognosia) and psychopathological (denial) conceptions should be replaced by an integrative approach of the various dimensions involved in unawareness to allow a better adaptation of the care management.