There's a rare neurological condition where patients lose the ability to make statementsand canonly communicate through questions. Everything they say comes out as an inquiry, even when they're trying to give definitive answers.
The condition is called Foreign Accent Syndrome with Interrogative Speech Pattern, and it typically develops after specific types of brain injuries affecting the language centers. Patients understand language perfectly and know what they want to say, but their brain can only form questions.
A woman in Walesdeveloped this conditionafter a severe migraine and couldn't make a single statement for months. When asked her name, she would respond "Is it Sarah?" When asked if she was hungry, she'd say "Am I supposed to be eating something?" Every conversation became exhausting because listeners never knew if she actually needed information or was trying to communicate facts.
What makes this particularly frustratingis that patientsretain all their knowledge and opinions but can't express them directly. They might know the sky is blue but can only say "Isn't the sky blue?" leaving others unsure if they're asking or telling.
The condition affects writing as well as speech. Patients write emails, texts, and notes entirely in question form, even when giving instructions or sharing information. Simple directions become confusing queries like "Should you turn left at the corner?"
Treatment involves speech therapyfocused onretraining the brain's language pathways, but recovery can take months or years. Some patients learn to work around the condition by using body language, tone of voice, and context clues to indicate when they're making statements versus asking genuine questions.
The rarest cases involve patients who ask questions they already know the answers to compulsively, creating loops where they'll repeatedly ask "What time is it?" whilelooking directly at a clock.
Living with this conditionmeansevery conversation becomes a guessing game for both the patient and everyone around them.