a beautiful mind a mental health portrayal essay

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How schizophrenia was portrayed in a beautiful mind.

A Beautiful Mind is a movie based on the life of mathematician John Nash and his battle with schizophrenia.

Nash developed the first symptoms of schizophrenia in the 1950s. He later made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, including the math of decision-making and the extension of game theory. His struggles with this mental disorder and its effects on his family were made into a film that has aroused questions regarding schizophrenia. As a mental health care center in Boca , we wanted to analyze how schizophrenia was portrayed in A Beautiful Mind .

What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This disorder also causes people to feel out of touch with reality. While there are multiple symptoms linked to schizophrenia, the most common include hallucinations, delusions, and difficulties concentrating.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness that can have a detrimental impact on anyone’s life. Without proper care, an individual can lose their life to this disorder. At Banyan Mental Health, we offer schizophrenia treatment that’s led by a team of professionals dedicated to helping patients with this mental disorder.

What Are The Symptoms Of Schizophrenia In A Beautiful Mind

There are several examples of negative symptoms of schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind , including:

• Delusions of grandeur
• Reduced daily activities
• Neglected hygiene
• Withdrawing from others
• Hallucinations
• Incoherent speech
• Fear of persecution
• Lack of interpersonal relationships

If you or someone you know begins to portray these signs of schizophrenia , we offer different kinds of mental illness treatment in Boca that can help.

What A Beautiful Mind Got Right About Schizophrenia

Many individuals with schizophrenia hear voices or see things that aren’t there and may even seem disconnected from reality or caught up in a different world. While A Beautiful Mind is not an entirely accurate depiction of John Nash’s life, it does offer an accurate representation of schizophrenia.

Delusions of Grandeur

Delusions of grandeur, or grandiose delusions, are among the most common signs of paranoid schizophrenia. This is when a person has an exaggerated sense of significance, personality, authority, or knowledge. In other words, a person displaying this symptom may think and act as if they’re superior to others in different ways. An example of this in A Beautiful Mind is when John offends his other classmates by calling their work “unoriginal,” and claiming that he’ll make something original.

Onset of Symptoms

Although John didn’t begin to show signs of schizophrenia until he was in his 30s, the movie portrayed his symptoms manifesting in his 20s. While this doesn’t accurately depict the course of John’s life, the 20s are the most common period during which schizophrenia reveals itself.

Lack of Emotion

Another common sign of schizophrenia is a change in how a person speaks. In many scenes, including the one where John tells Charles that he “doesn’t like people much,” he shows very little emotion when he speaks. This is frequently portrayed throughout the movie.

Impact of this Disease on a Person’s Life

People with schizophrenia have trouble differentiating fiction from reality, which is accurately portrayed in a scene where John gives a speech about his current research. During this scene, John sees men in suits and believes them to be soviet spies who have been ordered to capture him. Instead, they are really men sent to take him to a psychiatric hospital. John’s delusions advance, causing him to believe that he’s actually working for the Department of Defense under an agent named William Parcher. Eventually, his wife was able to prove to him that none of his letters to the agent were ever opened and that William Parcher never existed.

What A Beautiful Mind Got Wrong About Schizophrenia

While there were plenty of accurately portrayed characteristics of schizophrenia, there were also some that were exaggerated or inaccurate.

There Is No Quick Fix for Schizophrenia

In the movie, it appeared that John only spent a short time in the hospital, receiving treatment and taking the appropriate medication before jumping back into his research; however, this is highly inaccurate. Schizophrenia is a life-long disease that requires consistent therapy and treatment to help the individual adjust and cope with this mental disorder. John Nash himself actually struggled for decades with his mental illness and was unable to work for a long period of time.

While delusions are common side effects of schizophrenia, not all schizophrenics see delusions. Regarding John Nash specifically, he didn’t see delusions like Charles or the soviet spies as they were depicted in the movie, but rather he heard them. Oftentimes, auditory hallucinations – hearing things that aren’t real – can cause delusions. While it can occur, the soviet spies and Nash’s friend Charles can be considered exaggerated symptoms of schizophrenia. These characters help the audience visualize what John was thinking.

Many people have looked into how schizophrenia was portrayed in A Beautiful Mind . Overall, the movie can safely be considered an interesting depiction of a debilitating mental illness that affects the lives of many. If you or someone you know is currently struggling with this mental disorder, call Banyan today at 888-280-4763 for more information about our residential mental health program in Boca .

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Movie Critique: Analyzing “A Beautiful Mind” Through A Psychological Lens

When John Nash is first introduced in A Beautiful Mind , he appears to stare off into space, speaks in a monotone voice, and talks to very few people. To the average viewer, this may seem harmless, but to someone viewing the film with a psychological perspective, all of these could point to schizophrenia.

The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) defines schizophrenia as a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves” (“Schizophrenia”). In the film A Beautiful Mind , protagonist John Nash experiences this disorder and its effects firsthand.

The movie portrays Nash at several points throughout his life, from his days in college to a point late in his career. Nash’s symptoms of schizophrenia pose daunting challenges to him in his family and career, but audiences do not fully learn the extent of these challenges until about halfway through the film.

Ultimately, the film does a great job of portraying life through Nash’s perspective, which makes the revelation that Nash has schizophrenia all the more powerful.

The film begins with a college-aged Nash, who is working on a project that will help him advance in his career. He has a strong bond with his roommate Charles, but does not have any other close relationships.

After college, Nash begins working on mathematical research at MIT while also teaching a class there. It is there that he meets Alicia, a student in his class who would later become his wife and strongest supporter.

Around this time, he also begins working secretly with Parcher, who works with the Department of Defense and assigns him projects to crack Russian codes embedded in newspapers. Nash is told that he cannot discuss this top-secret work with anyone, so he keeps it a secret from his wife.

Eventually, it is revealed by Nash’s psychiatrist that Charles, Parcher, and the secret DoD assignments were not real and were only in Nash’s mind. From this point on, the film portrays Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia as they affect his professional and personal life.

As someone who has never seen another portrayal of schizophrenia in popular media, I felt that the movie gave a great overview of the disorder while focusing on Nash’s specific case. Many of the symptoms outlined in the text Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World , as well as in other sources, are seen in the film.

The text states that schizophrenia “touches every facet of the affected person’s life” (Nevid 404) and causes those with the disorder to “become increasingly disengaged from society” (Nevid 404). This is definitely the case with John Nash, as his symptoms are expressed across different parts of his life and become more severe as he grows older.

According to the text, schizophrenia “typically develops during late adolescence or early adulthood” (405). This timeline is appropriate when discussing Nash’s case. When we first meet Nash, he is enrolled in college and is developing a bond with his fictional roommate Charles. Though it is unclear whether Nash had shown symptoms prior to this, Charles’ existence is indicative of one major symptom of schizophrenia that would afflict Nash for the majority of his life.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines hallucination as “a person hearing voices, seeing things, or smelling things others can’t perceive” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In Nash’s case, Charles and other characters in the film are vivid, influential hallucinations that last for long periods of time.

While Charles was heavily present during Nash’s college days, Parcher became a prominent hallucination when Nash began working at MIT. Parcher, who claimed to work for the DoD, assigned Nash to work privately on breaking Russian secret codes hidden in American newspapers or magazines.

During his “work” with Parcher, Nash is involved in a car chase and shootout. He then expresses to Parcher that he does not want to continue with his work, and Parcher tells him he needs to keep working unless he wants the Russians to know his identity.

This makes sense, as the NAMI also expresses that “the voices in the hallucination can be critical or threatening” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In this case, Parcher is threatening Nash to continue his work or suffer the consequences of Russians coming after him.

Another symptom experienced by Nash, disorganized thinking, is defined by the NAMI as a “struggle to remember things, organize their thoughts or complete tasks” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). This is seen on a regular but minor basis when Nash is in college, as he repeatedly has trouble coming up with a topic for his school research project. However, the more prominent example of disorganized thinking that Nash experiences comes when he is giving a guest lecture at Princeton years after his graduation.

During the lecture, he has trouble making coherent statements and instead trails off mid-sentence. His hallucinations make this worse; when he sees a group of men standing in the back of the room, he feels like they are Russians and are coming after him. He runs out of the lecture hall and across the campus, until he is intercepted by the psychiatrist, who Nash also assumes to be a Russian spy.

After being brought to the treatment facility by the psychiatrist Dr. Rosen, Nash experiences another symptom of schizophrenia: delusions. The NAMI explains that delusions are “false beliefs that don’t change even when the person who holds them is presented with new ideas or facts” (“What is Schizophrenia?”).

Despite being presented with facts about his diagnosis by Dr. Rosen and Alicia, Nash was resistant and reluctant to accept this reality.

Even though he had been enrolled in treatment and been told by Alicia that his hallucinations were not real, Nash still believed that he was being held prisoner by the Russians. He also rationalized his belief in Parcher’s existence, despite Alicia telling him there is no record of anyone by that name working for the DoD, by saying that he would not be listed in any records because he is a secret operative.

Worst of all, he cut open his arm to find the tracking device he believed Parcher implanted in him; when it was not there, he reasoned that someone had removed it, instead of realizing it was never there in the first place.

Before his diagnosis, Nash appeared to have it all together; after all, he appeared to be working for the DoD and was described by Parcher as “the best code breaker [he has] ever seen.” However, after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, the troubles being faced by Nash became much clearer to him, Alicia, and viewers.

The text explains that people with schizophrenia often “fail to function in the expected roles of student, worker, or spouse, and their families and communities grow intolerant of their deviant behavior” (Nevid 404). Once again, this description applies to Nash’s case.

Alicia, who was Nash’s primary caretaker after his release from treatment, reported to a friend that she felt “obligation or guilt over wanting to leave [John]” as well as “rage against John [and] against god.” She was clearly overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for her husband.

These emotions reached a boiling point when Nash tried to give their son a bath. Alicia had stepped out for a moment, and when she returned, the baby was nearly drowning in the water. Nash was not supervising the baby because he believed that Charles was watching him. Alicia then tried to call Dr. Rosen. Nash, at the perceived insistence of Parcher, then pushed her to the ground and away from the phone in response. During this event, Nash’s hallucinations got in the way of his ability to behave appropriately with his son and wife.

When Nash returned to work, he also experienced difficulties typical of people with schizophrenia. Unfortunately, shortly after his return, he became panicked at the sight of Parcher and ran all over campus to get away from him.

Thankfully, he was still allowed to keep his job after this. After this, when he saw his hallucinations, he did his best to avoid them, and even told Charles and Marci that he should not be talking to them anymore. Nash’s symptoms got in the way of his work at first, but fortunately they became gradually less debilitating as his career progressed.

In the end, Nash was able to succeed in his life despite experiencing hallucinations for the majority of his life. He went on to have a long career as a professor at Princeton, and even won a Nobel Prize. His marriage also persevered through the struggles he and Alicia experienced. This film sends hope to people with schizophrenia that it is possible to overcome the challenges the disorder poses in order to achieve their goals.

• Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2014). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Higher Education.
• Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
• What is Schizophrenia? (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/schizophrenia

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Mind Yourself

A Beautiful Mind: A Psychological Review

Ron howard's incredibly successful film handles schizophrenia with a gentle touch..

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film that chronicles the life of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who struggles with schizophrenia. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Ron Howard, Best Adapted Screenplay for Akiva Goldsman, and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly.

John Nash, the brilliant mathematician at the heart of the movies was marked by exceptional intelligence from a young age. However, this remarkable intellect coexisted with signs of social awkwardness and emotional detachment.

During his school days a teacher said to him, "You were born with two helpings of brain but only a half a one of heart," this very aptly summarized Nash's complex nature, foreshadowing the lifelong struggle he would face in balancing his intellectual gifts with his mental health issues.

The Path to Brilliance and the Descent into Schizophrenia

Nash's journey from brilliant student to Nobel Prize-winning mathematician was punctuated by the onset of schizophrenia. While his academic pursuits flourished at Princeton University, his personal life became increasingly chaotic.

He neglected personal hygiene, struggled to maintain relationships, and exhibited an intense focus on his mathematical work. His apathy towards people, colleagues, and his diminished emotional expressions were early indicators of his deteriorating mental health.

He also suffered hallucinations and delusions and along with diminished emotional expression these are three of the five characteristics required for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The other two being disorganized speech and catatonic behavior, things he also displayed occasionally in the film.

The Cold War Crucible: A Potential Trigger for Schizophrenia

The film suggests that two elements may have triggered Nash's schizophrenia. These were him attending university and the background of the Cold War.

Things start to go badly for Nash’s mental health when he starts his studies and thanks to his mathematical skills he’s soon ‘recruited’ by the Department of Defence to break Russian codes.

Hallucinations and Delusions: Navigating a Distorted Reality

Nash's schizophrenia manifested in the form of vivid hallucinations and elaborate delusions. He has a nonexistent roommate named Charles who he bickers with but also confides in too. There’s also Charles’ niece Marcee who plays an interesting role in that she asks him tough questions about his life and doesn’t really take any guff from him.

Finally, there’s William Parcher, a character he believes to be a military intelligence officer, and his superior when he is recruited to help the US in its codebreaking operations against Russia.

These recurring figures represented different aspects of Nash's internal conflict, reflecting his fears, insecurities, and desires.

His primary delusion centers on the aforementioned belief that he was a secret agent for the Department of Defense, entrusted with deciphering coded messages in newspapers and magazines to prevent a Soviet attack.

This delusion provided Nash with a sense of purpose and importance, compensating for his feelings of isolation and alienation. It also put in him great mental strife as he imagines he’s hunted and attacked by foes.

A Journey of Resilience and Triumph

Amidst the challenges of schizophrenia, Nash found love and support in his wife, Alicia. Her unwavering devotion and understanding played a crucial role in helping him manage his illness and pursue his academic career.

This devotion is tested though, particularly in a scene where Nash gets into a fight with Charles. Alicia cowers in the bathroom holding their newborn baby and when Nash enters he begins blabbering that he’s the only one that can see Charles because he’s been injected with a cloating serum where only Nash can see him. Alicia cries ‘there’s nobody here, there’s nobody here’.

Despite the debilitating effects of his condition, Nash managed to achieve extraordinary success, earning a Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to game theory.

Introducing Society to Schizophrenia

A Beautiful Mind has been widely praised for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of schizophrenia. The film avoids sensationalizing the condition, instead focusing on the human cost of mental illness and the challenges faced by those living with schizophrenia and their loved ones. It has raised awareness of the disorder and sparked important conversations about the stigma associated with mental health.

The movie is not merely a story about schizophrenia though; it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It is a reminder that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, individuals can find strength, love, and purpose.

Nash's story teaches us that with determination and support, even those battling debilitating mental illnesses can achieve remarkable success and contribute meaningfully to society.

The film's enduring impact lies in its ability to humanize mental illness, showing that individuals with schizophrenia are not defined by their condition but by their courage, perseverance, and humanity.

Hi, I’m Paddy. Thanks for reading my article. I’m a counselor, coach and meditation teacher.

If you’d like to contact me regarding a counseling session or about writing, you can contact me here . My different social media channels are here .

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Is A Beautiful Mind An Accurate Portrayal Of Schizophrenia?

Attempting to show the struggles of any particular illness on film always involves sensitive elements that need to be handled with care: Be too blasé with the issue, and it may soften the severe battle for those that suffer from it. On the other hand, if you over-embellish certain elements, it can almost skew the common understanding of an illness and stigmatize it for those that deal with it every day. This was the tightrope that Ron Howard and his cast had to walk along when it came to the 2005 film, "A Beautiful Mind." Nominated for eight Academy Awards (via IMDB ) and winning half of them including, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress going to Jennifer Connelly , the film told the true story of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician, John Nash, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Russell Crowe took on the demanding and delicate role of Nash, that earned him an Oscar nomination. As impressive as it was, though, just how solid was this portrayal of a man struggling to differentiate reality from his own mental projections? As it turns out, a few elements of Nash's story deviated from the truth in Howard's film. Not because of poor research or consideration, but the medium in which it was displayed.

A decades worth of errors

The 2005 film that told Nash's story, "A Beautiful Mind," sees the mathematician enroll at Princeton University in his early 20s and already showing signs of mental health issues. Awkward around other people and emotionally detached in conversations, Nash shows key signs of someone with this condition, which may be accurate scientifically ... but not necessarily historically, when it comes to Nash himself.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) , the average age for men showing signs of schizophrenia is in their late teens to early 20s. This would make sense with Nash enduring some of the various uncomfortable situations he finds himself during his time at Princeton, unintentionally belittling his classmates for basic ideas and making jokes that don't quite land. However, Nash wasn't diagnosed until the 1950s, when he was in his early 30s. While Crowe's portrayal in certain environments is correct, it does present issues that may not surfaced for another ten years in Nash's specific case, but which make sense to display on film as a way of indicating his condition.

John's hallucinations shouldn't be seen

Through the tumultuous period of Nash discovering his genius and the condition that impedes him, he meets his good friend and college roommate Charles Herman ( Paul Bettany ). An English student who is fond of parties, women, hangovers and is eventually revealed to be one of Nash's earlier hallucinations. From there, various other characters begin to appear from Nash's creation, including Ed Harris' short-tempered and intense government agent, William Parcher, who "enlists" John's help to uncover codes linked to a Russian plot hidden in the pages of magazines and newspapers.

Nash's encounters with this particular character are heated and have ramifications on those around him, including his wife and child. Creating a tremendous amount of tension in the film and testing Nash's stability as he tries to keep hold of the reality he's slipping from, how it's displayed isn't necessarily accurate to how those with schizophrenia interact with their manifestations.

Speaking to ABC in 2006, Dr. Steve Lamberti, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester, explained that "the movie's portrayal of Dr. Nash seeing and conversing with life-like 'people' is not what most individuals who suffer from schizophrenia experience." Instead, a more common symptom is for voices to be heard without warning, with no visual cue of who it belongs to. Also, any seemingly visible display for the sufferer will be a skewed one that is noticeably different from the rest of reality.

Nash's road to recovery is the right one with the occasional wrong turn

The film eventually sees Nash accepting and overcoming his schizophrenia, following his diagnosis and eventual denial of the "people" that he's been interacting with. That being said, elements of Nash's recovery in the film, as harrowing as they are, were sadly correct.

Nash was sent to a psychiatric hospital where he underwent insulin coma therapy, which would lead the patient to have regularly scheduled comas following large doses. The process was eventually discredited and replaced with anti-psychotic drugs. The film also details Nash's relapse after concluding the medication is impeding his work, leading him to deteriorate and, at times, for the hallucinations to return. Lamberti agreed that the film accurately displayed medicine not being the "cure-all" conclusion. That being said, the time spent was far longer for Nash in real life, who fought the condition for decades (via Banyan Mental Health ).

Lamberti also agreed that his family eventually adapting and helping him with his condition did hold truth and is a recommended for those diagnosed. Speaking to ABC, he explained, "the importance of family support has been increasingly recognized in the field of psychiatry over the past 20 years, and new forms of family education and treatment have been developed." Overall, it seems that "A Beautiful Mind" may have applied story mechanics and twists in the timeline to tell Nash's story, but there are enough elements ensuring it was an accurate one, all the same.

A Hollywood Picture of Schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind

Mental health has been an issue addressed in some of the most well known and most respected films in the history of cinema. I would bet, even as you are reading this, you’ve already had a couple of titles pop into your head. Some of these films address the issue more honestly than others. I will be looking specifically at the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind and examining why I feel the film, although a beautiful example of Hollywood magic and vehicle for much needed and much deserved attention to mental health, does a disservice to those who live with serious mental health conditions such as paranoid schizophrenia.

I recently re-watched A Beautiful Mind for the first time since it first premiered in 2001 and I went into it already planning on still hating it. In fact, I was dead set on not liking it before I even hit play. So you can imagine my intense ire when I found myself liking this film…a lot. After re-watching the film I was a mess. I was crying, I was laughing, heck I even stood up and clapped a few times. I was now convinced I had been wrong the entire time. A Beautiful Mind is a wonderful movie, I said to myself through my happy tears. Ron Howard hit every note perfectly. Akiva Goldsman’s adapted screenplay, it appeared, stayed true to Sylvia Nasar’s book of the same name, as Nasar has said the filmmakers “invented a narrative, that while far from a literal telling it stayed true to Nash’s spirit”. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly delivered pitch-perfect performances with an amazing supporting cast that lists like a who’s who in Hollywood. People such as Judd Hirsch, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, Adam Goldberg, and Josh Lucas. Even John Nash himself made a surprise appearance towards the end of the film.

A Beautiful Mind , as far as films go, deserved every single award it earned. A Beautiful Mind , simply put, is a beautiful film. A beautiful film that glosses over and omits significant and, I feel, imperative facts.

After I had time to let the magic of Hollywood’s spell wear off it is the omissions of truths leading to the atypical manner in which they portrayed paranoid schizophrenia that began to disturb me most about this film. In the name of full disclosure I feel it is important to state that since I saw the film the eldest of my 2 paranoid schizophrenic brothers committed suicide and I spent over 10 of those 18 years since I first saw the film as a mental health professional, as I am sure this affects my views on many, many levels.

Now, as Nasar stated, the movie stayed true to the spirit of John Nash…the spirit, but not the facts. So let’s get some facts on schizophrenia. According to NAMI Iowa schizophrenia; 1) is a disease of the brain which affects a person’s ability to think, feel, and relate to the environment 2) affects 1.5 per cent of the general population. It is twice as common as Alzheimer disease, five times more common than MS, and 60 times more common Muscular Dystrophy 3) is not caused by bad parenting or a personal weakness. Rather it is a biological illness of the brain 4) is not a form of mental retardation. Mental retardation is a developmental disability present from birth that affects one’s intellectual capacity. On the other hand, schizophrenia is a mental illness typically having its onset in adolescence or early adulthood. And Ann Olsen Psy.D says in her article written for psychologytoday.com entitled Beautiful Myths and the Minds of Schizophrenics,  “The distribution of I.Q. scores in those who are schizophrenic are positively skewed as compared to that of those without schizophrenia. This means that there is a greater chance than the norm for schizophrenics to score as less intelligent on the distribution of the bell curve. The curve of the distribution for schizophrenics depicts a higher percentage of schizophrenics falling below normative intelligence.”

Right off the bat, we can see one of the biggest factors that make both the Hollywood version of John Nash and the real-life John Nash an atypical example of a person with schizophrenia is his immense intelligence and high I.Q. Both versions of John Nash were awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1994) for his “Nash Equilibrium” economic theory. However, in the film, Nash uses his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to pay tribute to his wife Alicia. When, in reality, Nash was not asked to give a Nobel lecture. He did, however, give a short speech at a small party in Princeton. Nasar’s synopsis from her book rang true to me because when I asked my youngest brother with schizophrenia to be a groomsman in my wedding he said he would be uncomfortable standing in front of so many people. Here is what Nasar had to say in her book:

“He was not inclined to give speeches, he said, but he had three things to say. First, he hoped that getting the Nobel would improve his credit rating because he really wanted a credit card. Second, he said that one is supposed to say that one is glad he is sharing the prize, but he wished he had won the whole thing because he really needed the money badly. Third, Nash said that he had won for game theory and that he felt that game theory was like string theory, a subject of great intrinsic intellectual interest that the world wishes to imagine can be of some utility. He said it with enough skepticism in his voice to make it funny.”

Another very much glossed over part of Nash’s life in the movie is his marriage to Alicia. In the movie, Nash uses his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to pay tribute to Alicia but as we just learned he did not give the speech presented in A Beautiful Mind . The real-life version of John Nash and Alicia Larde were married in February 1957 and their son, John Charles Martin Nash, was born May 20, 1959. According to Nasar, on the day after Christmas in 1962, Alicia filed for divorce. Her papers stated that Nash blamed her for twice committing him to a mental institution. He had moved into another room and refused to have sex with her for more than two years. By 1965, she hoped to marry another math professor, John Coleman Moore. Nash moved in with Alicia again in 1970, and it’s true that her patience and concern played a critical role in his recovery from schizophrenia. But she referred to him as her “boarder,” she writes, and “they lived essentially like two distantly related individuals under one roof” until he won the Nobel Prize, then they renewed their relationship.

John Nash also fathered a son with a woman by the name of Eleanor Stier, a Boston nurse. According to Nasar, In 1953, John David Stier was born to Eleanor, Nash was 25 at the time. (Nash’s other son, who is depicted in the movie, is also named John, and who later developed schizophrenia) she says in her book “though single, Nash was unwilling to care for Eleanor or John, and John had to be placed in foster care for a time. In 1956, Eleanor was forced to hire a lawyer in order to get Nash to pay child support.”

Lastly, I would like to address Mr Nash’s refusal to take his medication and his hiding of this refusal, because although this worked for Nash in the film, in reality, this can be a quite dangerous thing to do without first consulting a physician. According to Web MD, there are several reasons a person may refuse to take their medication and it is important to understand these reasons, both for the person with the mental health and their loved ones.

“First, they may not realize that anything is wrong. Among people with schizophrenia, 50% may have anosognosia, a brain problem that makes them think they’re not ill. And if you’re not ill, why would you take medication? Secondly, they may not accept the diagnosis. Many people with schizophrenia get diagnosed when they’re young. Finding out that they have a serious mental illness can be hard to take in. Every time they take that medicine, it’s a reminder of something they don’t agree with. Thirdly, these are some of the harder psychiatric medications to take. Finding the right dosage or combination often takes time. Prescribing doctors may have to try three different brands before settling on something that works. In the meantime, your relative or partner may find the side effects tough to take. It can be a hard process to ride out. Finally, some people with schizophrenia stop taking medication when they feel better. But that can backfire. Cutting back on or stopping the medication too soon can cause your symptoms to come back. Most people with schizophrenia take what doctors call a maintenance medication to keep things stable”.

From my personal experience as both the sister of two brothers with paranoid schizophrenia—one who committed suicide while off of his prescribed medications, and one who struggles to this day with self medicating with illegal drugs and alcohol—as well as being a former mental health professional, I can say with a high degree of certainty and more facts than you would wish me to list as to why it is extremely dangerous to stop taking your psychiatric medications without the supervision of a licensed Doctor or Psychiatrist. I honestly cannot stress this enough.

Furthermore, John Nash, both the Hollywood version and the real John Nash, as we earlier learned has a much higher than average intelligence than the majority of individuals with schizophrenia which helped him to be able to rationalize his thoughts and understand his disease in a way that most people with schizophrenia, including both of my brothers, are/were able to do.

I truly thought A Beautiful Mind was a beautiful film. But it was a film. And like with any piece of art the artist changes things, rewrites things, omits things, and creates things to make it appealing to the proper audience through the proper medium which can and does make for beautiful art; beautiful art that can become dangerous when seen as anything more than beautiful art with a heavy dose of Hollywood magic.

Written by Rikki Robinson

Former staff member

Jennifer Connelly John Nash mental health Nobel Prize Russell Crowe Schizophrenia

I was so angry that Russell Crowe lost his temper at the BAFTA Awards that year, right before the Oscars, because I knew that’s all anybody in this stupid country would focus on, instead of his incredible performance, so he LOST the Oscar! And Denzel Washington who did win knew that Oscar wasn’t really his, and he acted like it. I have never been so angry at the Academy as I was that year. Russell Crowe had won every single acting award that year, but the Academy being a bunch of imbecilic morons denied him the Oscar he so richly deserved! Grow up Academy and do your job!

Really great writing.

THANK YOU!!!!

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A Beautiful Mind: What Did John Nash Really Have?

Are we sure it was schizophrenia.

Posted May 27, 2015 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

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It is a commonplace that John Nash, the Nobel-Prize winning mathematician and economist who recently died, had “schizophrenia.” All his obituaries repeat the formula, and the assumption of the book about his life and the subsequent movie, A Beautiful Mind , leave this assumption unchallenged.

But did he really have schizophrenia?

Core schizophrenia begins in adolescence or early adulthood, may involve a psychotic break, certainly involves diminished executive function , affective blunting and a thought disorder. (On this see Edward Shorter, What Psychiatry Left Out Routledge.) The concept of “thought disorder” means inability to think clearly, or in a consecutive manner. It does not necessarily mean the hallucinations and delusions of psychosis .

Now, what symptoms did Nash seem to have? His illness began in 1959 at age 30, a bit past the typical window. He had already fashioned his brilliant doctoral dissertation.

But 1959 was probably the very worst time in the history of American psychiatry to become ill. Psychiatry then was still drenched in Freudian dogma, and for the Freudian psychoanalysts “schizophrenia” was really a wastebasket diagnosis: They used it indiscriminately on all patients who did not seem to be suitable candidates for “The couch.”

So virtually every patient apparently incapable of having a “ transference relationship” was called “schizophrenic,” and the inheritance of this ghastly tradition is still with us today. (Transference means coming to see your therapist as your parent.)

Nash was certainly delusional and evidently hallucinated as well. He filled the blackboards of Fine Hall at Princeton with indecipherable scribblings, and wandered about the campus in an apparent daze. He became known as “The Phantom of Fine Hall.”

But then he got better, looked back in astonishment at his own illness career , and was able to travel normally to Stockholm in 1994 to accept his Nobel Prize. Whatever it was that had seized his brain for this decades-long period had apparently lost its grip.

Now, this does not really happen in core adolescent-onset schizophrenia. Some of the patients don’t recover at all; others make only a “social recovery,” ending with what the Europeans call a “defect.” That you awaken magically from classical schizophrenia—often called “hebephrenia”—and go on to have a normal life: Maybe not.

So this is what gives me the willies about the Nash case, that we may have given him the wrong diagnosis. Or rather that his psychoanalytically oriented clinicians in 1959 gave him the wrong diagnosis and ever since this has been unthinkingly accepted.

This is the way psychiatry often works. The field has trouble with new ideas, unless they are heavily promoted by the pharmaceutical industry (think “neurotransmitters”). In 1893 Emil Kraepelin in Heidelberg popularized the concept of psychosis of adolescent onset as “ dementia praecox,” premature dementia, the premature part meaning adolescence or young adulthood. Then Eugen Bleuler, professor of psychiatry in Zurich, relabeled Kraepelin’s dementia praecox as “schizophrenia” in 1908, and detached it from age.

We still have Bleuler’s “schizophrenia” with us today, more than a hundred years later. The field has made virtually no progress in unpacking chronic severe illness and differentiating out several distinct entities. In no other field of medicine would this be conceivable! DSM-5 , the current edition, still refers to “schizophrenia” in the singular.

To be sure, other efforts at unpacking have been made, but they haven’t caught on. In 1957 East German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard proposed a complicated alternative to the Kraepelin-Bleulerian standard that still has some acolytes today. In the Leonhardian scheme, Nash would probably have received the diagnosis “affective paraphrenia,” but Leonhard said they don’t recover, and Nash did.

Nash has now passed on. Someday his patient records will be available for scholarly analysis, and then we’ll know a lot more. But we won’t know anything for sure because as yet we haven’t done the required unpacking and don’t have reliable new categories for classifying chronic illness : Some involve loss of brain tissue, others don’t. Some have to stay on meds, others don't. Some get well, others don’t. These are not all the same illness! But at least we can stop chanting that Nash had “schizophrenia,” when in fact we don’t actually know what he had.

Edward Shorter, Ph.D., is the Jason A. Hannah Professor in the History of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

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A Beautiful Mind Summary: John Nash’s Struggle with Schizophrenia

How it works

• 1 A Beautiful Mind Summary: Hallucinations
• 2 Delusions and Suspicion
• 3 Self-Harm and Reduced Activity
• 4 References:

A Beautiful Mind Summary: Hallucinations

In the movie A Beautiful Mind, they bring forth multiple symptoms of schizophrenia. One of the most apparent symptoms shown is Johns’s hallucinations. Hallucinations are “the experiencing of sights, sounds, or other perceptions in the absence of external stimuli.” In Johns’s case, in the movie, he heard as well as saw things that weren’t real. The voices that he heard would talk directly to him, giving him commands and tasks to accomplish as well as giving him warnings about dangers he could be facing due to his work.

He imagined that Charles and Parcher were living people and believed that they were not in his head. Even after being told they were imaginary, John had a difficult time understanding that they didn’t exist because, to him, they were people.

Delusions and Suspicion

Other symptoms they show in the movie are delusions and suspicion. A delusion is a scenario that the schizophrenia patient makes up in their head and strongly believes is true despite evidence to prove them wrong. Depending on each patient, the delusions can vary; one person can have a single delusion that consumes their life, and another person can have various delusions throughout their life. Commonly, with delusions, suspicions do arise, whether it takes the form of being spied on or deliberated victimization. The patient is not able to decipher reality from what they have imagined. John Nash’s delusion wasn’t noticed quickly due to his being a brilliant mathematician. His delusion was that he worked for the United States Defense Agency. He sent “top secret information” to the agency and thought that he was protecting the United States from a threat from Russia, which is what Parcher, one of his hallucinations, told him. Due to his government involvement, he believes that he is in danger because the Russians are after him and the information that he can decipher.

Self-Harm and Reduced Activity

The creators of the movie intended for those to be the major symptoms of schizophrenia portrayed, but there were some others as well, one of which being self-harm. Self-harm is normally seen in patients if they have tried suicide or tried to hurt themselves prior. It also has higher rates with more impulsive patients as well as those with higher cognitive functioning. In the movie, you see John cut his arm open to check for the device that he thought was in him. Another condition of the illness that the movie touches on is a reduction in daily activity. While John was at Princeton, he stayed in the library for much of his time, didn’t talk to anyone, and didn’t perform normal activities, such as eating. Lastly, the movie touched upon a lack of insight. In most illnesses, the patient neglects to see that they need treatment and the consequences that the illness causes. John thinks that he’s a government agent, and when he’s told that Parcher does not exist, he still believes that he is real.

References:

• Comer, R. J. (2011). Abnormal Psychology (8th ed.). Worth Publishers.
• Pluck, G., Lekka, N., Sarkar, S., Lee, K. H., Bath, P. A., & Sharif, O. (2013). Features of self-harm are associated with both attempted and completed suicide. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 43 (4), 373-384.

Cite this page

A Beautiful Mind Summary: John Nash's Struggle with Schizophrenia. (2023, Aug 25). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/a-beautiful-mind-summary-john-nashs-struggle-with-schizophrenia/

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PapersOwl.com. (2023). A Beautiful Mind Summary: John Nash's Struggle with Schizophrenia . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/a-beautiful-mind-summary-john-nashs-struggle-with-schizophrenia/ [Accessed: 12 May. 2024]

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"A Beautiful Mind Summary: John Nash's Struggle with Schizophrenia," PapersOwl.com , 25-Aug-2023. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/a-beautiful-mind-summary-john-nashs-struggle-with-schizophrenia/. [Accessed: 12-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2023). A Beautiful Mind Summary: John Nash's Struggle with Schizophrenia . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/a-beautiful-mind-summary-john-nashs-struggle-with-schizophrenia/ [Accessed: 12-May-2024]

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A Beautiful Mind: Analyzing How Schizophrenia is Portrayed in Movies versus Reality

Mathematicians are often portrayed as geniuses who frantically scrabble equations onto blackboards while also having an odd personality. What if one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century was able to answer some of math’s biggest puzzles while also dealing with something as debilitating as schizophrenia?

A movie poster showing John Nash (Russel Crowe) starring at the window where he has written his work.

Brief Overview: A Beautiful Mind is a movie that was produced in 2001 that is based on the life of the famous, schizophrenic mathematician, John Forbes Nash Jr., who is portrayed by Russel Crowe. This movie was inspired by the biographical novel “A Beautiful Mind” which was written by Sylvia Nasar. This movie creates a timeline of John Nash’s life that begins when he enters graduate school at Princeton to study mathematics where the early symptoms of schizophrenia begin to appear and continues into the later parts of his life such as when he won the Nobel Prize while still dealing with his disability. As the timeline progresses, so does the schizophrenia which is made worse by John’s supposed work pertaining to the military. By analyzing key scenes from the movie, we can get a glimpse into the life long struggles that someone with disability such as schizophrenia will go through.

What exactly is Schizophrenia? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, schizophrenia is a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves” and causes people to seem as if they are “out of touch with reality”.  There are multiple symptoms that are associated with schizophrenia, but some of the most common are hallucinations, delusional behavior and trouble focusing. There is no known cure or cause of schizophrenia, however, current research suggests that an imbalance of brain chemicals such as dopamine (National Institute of Mental Health).

A brain scan that shows the difference in brain activity between a healthy individual and a schizophrenic individual.

Beginning Graduate School:  The beginning of the movie helps establish John as a mysterious genius who seems to be socially off-putting but progresses to show how his schizophrenia impacts him. The movie begins with John introducing himself to other math graduate students, where he tries to make jokes with good intentions but ends up offending other students and leaving. He also offends the other graduate students by calling their work unoriginal and talking about how he will come with an “original” idea and solve it. After this confrontation, he heads back to his room, where he meets his roommate, Charles who is supposedly a graduate student studying English. This is the first time that John’s schizophrenic delusions become apparent to the audience as his room is made for one person.

John Nash is sitting at his desk working while his roommate, Charles, looks over his shoulder and appears to be saying something to him. This is right after they move in.

Although the movie may not be a totally accurate description of John Nash’s disability, it does help paint an accurate representation of schizophrenia. In the movie, Nash’s schizophrenia sets in when he is in his early 20’s, and this is the typical age for when the symptoms of schizophrenia begin to manifest in people, however, the symptoms did not begin for Nash until he was in his early 30’s (Gil). Although his symptoms started late, they are still within the accepted range of when the onset of schizophrenia can begin, which helps portray the accuracy of the disability. The movie also takes advantage of symptoms such as delusions, reduced speaking/”flat effect”, and various cognitive symptoms such as poor executive functioning but these are all valid and common symptoms of schizophrenia as we know it (National Institute of Mental Health). These symptoms are put into effect in the beginning of the movie when Charles appears and also when John is talking to the other graduate students, although the cognitive symptoms do not appear until other key scenes in the move. He does not speak a lot and when he does it is not with a lot of emotion, which can be attributed to the onset of his disability. However, although the symptoms are accurate, John never had delusions figures such as Charles, he suffered mostly from auditory delusions. Overall, the beginning helps accurately introduce several key attributes of schizophrenia while also attempting to keep an accurate storyline.

Diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia:  The peak of John Nash’s schizophrenic delusions occurs while he is giving a speech about his current mathematical research. During this speech he sees men in suits in the aisles of the lecture room, who he thinks are soviet spies who have been ordered to capture him. As a result of this delusion, he runs out of the room and is chased by these supposed soviet spies. They capture him and it becomes apparent that these men are not soviet spies but are actually men sent to get him and bring him to a psychiatric hospital so he can get help with his disability. John’s delusions have made him believe that he is working for the Department of Defense under a mysterious government agent, William Parcher. He believes that he has been performing top secret soviet code breaking and he has been delivering this research to a top secret mailbox in sealed envelopes. In the hospital, his wife, Alicia Larde, reveals to him that there is no agent named William Parcher and none of his envelopes have ever been opened. She even goes on to show him that she was able to track down these top secret documents. John is ordered to under insulin shock therapy and take medication on the side to help cure his debilitating schizophrenia. These shock therapy sessions are very violent and required restraints to hold him down while watched by a team of nurses and doctors. However, his wife was able to prove to him that no William Parcher exists, which helps lead John to the depressing realization that he actually has paranoid schizophrenia.

John’s wife and colleagues open the door and analyze John’s office. This was after John was sent to the psychiatric hospital. There are papers pinned to the walls and the office does not appear to be organized.

An analysis of the chain of events in this scene revealed that it incorporates a lot of accurate facts about schizophrenia but it also misrepresents somethings about Nash’s life and schizophrenia as well.  The scene begins with John delusionally thinking that soviet spies are in the audience of his talk and does a good job of representing how much his disability had affected him. This scene shows just how much a disability like schizophrenia can affect a person and how it is not like other disabilities. When people think of schizophrenia, they make the mistake of thinking that an individual has multiple personalities, instead of realizing that a schizophrenic individual has trouble differentiating between real and imaginary things (ABC News). Throughout the movie, John’s personality never deviated much from where it started but his thought process does change as the movie progresses, which contributes to an accurate portrayal of schizophrenia. However, the movie does over exaggerate certain symptoms that are often associated with schizophrenia. Most individuals who have schizophrenia tend to heard voices rather than see hallucinations and these voices are what lead to the delusions (ABC News). In fact, John Nash actually never saw these hallucinations. However, these hallucinations give the audience insight into what it is like to struggle with schizophrenia so they do serve a purpose in the movie.

Another key event in this scene takes place when John is in the psychiatric hospital. It is in this scene where the audience is exposed to the truly cruel techniques that were used to cure schizophrenia. The psychiatric hospital is all white, in every room and hallway and gives the audience an unsettling feeling about the place. This scene takes place in the 1950’s, and is reflected in the treatments that were used. It was during this time that new treatments were being developed to attempt to cure schizophrenia, which is shown when John is forced to undergo insulin shock therapy a couple times a week. The results of this treatment were horrible and eventually were discredited as anti-psychotic drugs were introduced (ABC News). The introduction of anti-psychotic drugs plays a very important role in allowing schizophrenic people to lead normal lives. Also during this scene, the movie makes it seem as if people with schizophrenia only need to spend a short amount of time in the hospital and get medication then return back to normal life. This is also untrue as even John Nash was troubled for multiple decades by his disability and during this extended period of time he could not do any work. Overall, this chain of events show a turning point in the movie and help give insight into not only John Nash’s life but also anyone who deals with a schizophrenia.

Relapse:   After being released from the psychiatric hospital, John tried to resume his normal life and his mathematical research. However, he was required to take medication to help treat the symptoms of his

5. John sits at a table as he prepares to bathe his baby. He does not look healthy or happy and it appears that his baby is crying.

disability and this presented him with a problem. When taking his medication, he claims that he was not able to think freely and thus it caused him to make little or no progress with his research. As a result, John stops taking his medication so that he can think better. This costs him greatly as shortly after he stops taking his medication, he becomes delusional. John is giving his baby a bath one day after his wife went out into the backyard to hang up laundry. She notices that something is off then sprints back inside to find their baby almost drowning while John is having a schizophrenic episode and telling her that Charles was watching the baby. She rescues the baby as while she watches John have an argument what seems like nothing but is actually with Charles and William Parcher. During this supposed argument, Parcher pulls a gun on John’s wife, which causes John to try to tackle Parcher and save his wife since he thinks that all of this is real. When he runs at Parcher, he actually runs at his wife and knocks her over. As she attempts to leave the house, John runs out and explains that he has realized that none of what just happened was real, which shows that he recognized he was having a delusion. This is where the mood of the movie changes as John has come to terms that he may or may not be able to defeat his schizophrenia.

This scene presents another opportunity to let the audience know how John is feeling. After leaving the psychiatric hospital, John has to take medicine that helps prevent the delusions from occurring however, this impedes his thinking so he stops taking the pills, which almost has disastrous consequences. This scene specifically does a good job of appealing to the emotions of the audience because almost everyone has taken medicine or been sick to the point where it affects how they think, which often times leads to people not taking their medication. These drugs have a mild effect profile that help decrease the delusions, yet people still relapse (Gil). These drugs affect how people think and feel so as a result people stop taking them. This shows how much more research needs to be done in order to understand schizophrenia more in order to prevent more relapses. This leads to the next point though, which is that medication may be the best solution but the best solution may not be able to solve everything. According to ABC News, “The movie’s message that medications are an important part of treatment, although they aren’t a cure-all, is an accurate message” (ABC News). The movie portrays a very real example of how medication may help although there are still limitations to what it can do.

Learning to live with Paranoid Schizophrenia:  After his relapse, John is faced with the decision that he will have to return to the psychiatric hospital and take medicine, which will hinder his research or he can learn to deal with his disability so that he can do what he loves: math. He is able to return to Princeton and agrees to work out of the library. While starting to work at Princeton, he still had to learn to deal with his delusions in a new environment, which proved to be difficult but manageable. It is during this period of John Nash’s life that he was able to resume his research and when he wins him the Nobel Prize in economics for work that he did for his dissertation. The scenes still show John’s delusions such as Parcher and Charles but he knows to not acknowledge them. This portrays John as being able to rationalize his disability and that is how he “healed” himself.

John is sitting at a round table being gifted pens by other members of the Princeton faculty. There are six pens on the table as it appears that there are more to come. This is a very prestigious event in the movie.

This scene is one of the most important in the movie, if not the most important, because it helps show much we do not know about schizophrenia. By analyzing this scene, it shows how the movie was able to represent certain things that we have yet to learn about schizophrenia. The movie portrays John as being able to simply not pay attention to his delusions just by rationalizing them and without the use of medication, but this may actually be done to external factors in his life. A supportive environment and aging can lead to better outcomes for schizophrenic individuals (Rettner). This is portrayed in the movie as John’s wife and colleagues are all very supportive and even help get him a professorship at Princeton. So while John may attribute his remission to rationalization, it may be due to these factors. Recent studies have shown that up to 60% of individuals with schizophrenia can achieve remission through the use of treatment, however, no one knows how remission occurs (Rettner). This statistic shows how much research lays ahead but it also helps show how much progress has been made since John Nash was originally diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts:  After watching this movie, analyzing the details of key scenes, and reading multiple online reviews and even reviews from the real John Forbes Nash Jr., I have come to the conclusion that this movie is able to accurately portray the intricacies of schizophrenia to the audience. Although the scenes may not always accurately depict what specifically happened to John Nash, they still portray ideas and facts about schizophrenia. Russell Crowe’s acting was great and helped enlightened the audience about what it is like to go through life with schizophrenia. However, I think John Nash’s case of schizophrenia is very unusual and deviates greatly from what the average schizophrenic individual will encounter. John was able to somehow put his schizophrenia into remission without the use of medication which seems to be something that most experts have not heard of. The movie also incorporated all the correct views and science that was known in the 1950’s and 1960’s that helps give the audience an authentic view into what was known about a mental disability like schizophrenia. Overall, I think this movie is a great and accurate example of what is it like to live with schizophrenia and has the ability to educate individuals about what is known about this disability.

• ABC News. “How Realistic Is ‘A Beautiful Mind’?” ABC News , 17 Jan. 2016, abcnews.go.com/GMA/DrJohnson/story?id=126426&page=1. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
• “a-beautiful-mind-pen-scene.jpg.” Jarvis City , jarviscity.com/2014/07/30/pen-movie-scenes/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• “abeautifulmindrusselcrowepaulbettany.” www.oscarfavorite.com/2014/08/a-beautiful-mind.html#.WD-RQaLx7Vo. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• “abm34.jpg.” Blog Cabins , blogcabins.blogspot.com/2010/09/30-days-of-crazy-beautiful-mind.html. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• “A Beautiful Mind.” Rogerebert.com , Ebert Digital LLC, static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/a-beautiful-mind-2001/large_v1WdKm9qQPBfhoHanBP5XxzIBDU.jpg. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• Bloomfield, Peter S. “microglial.jpg.” Bipolar Network News, bipolarnews.org/?p=3583. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• Gil, Robert. “Beautiful Minds: A movie raises questions about schizophrenia.” News From Columbia Health Sciences , Columbia University, 11 Feb. 2002, www.cumc.columbia.edu/publications/in-vivo/Vol1_Iss3_feb11_02/pov.html. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• “JohnNash.jpg.” Wbur , www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2015/05/25/john-nash-dies. Accessed 30 Nov. 20176.
• Moody, Tom. “beautiful_mind.jpg.” www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/pageback/27553/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
• The National Institute of Mental Health. “Schizophrenia.” National Institute of Health , www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml. Accessed 26 Nov. 2016.
• Rettner, Rachael. “‘Beautiful Mind’ John Nash’s Schizophrenia ‘Disappeared’ as He Aged.” Scientific American , 4 June 2015, www.scientificamerican.com/article/beautiful-mind-john-nash-s-schizophrenia-disappeared-as-he-aged/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

“A Beautiful Mind” Directed by Ron Howard Essay

Introduction.

Ron Howard produced A Beautiful Mind, a documentary film released in 2001. Critics welcomed it well, and psychiatrists started to utilize it for educational purposes. A real story inspires the film. It tells the story of John Nash, a famous mathematician who has paranoid schizophrenia. The central protagonist is truly brilliant yet does not rule out the possibility of mental disorder. He has schizophrenia and is suffering from some of the signs related to it, such as paranoid impulses, nightmares, psychotic disorder, and a skewed perspective of reality. This condition has a massive effect on John’s daily life, relationships with family and friends, and career.

The Relevance of Themes to Your Own Experience

Persistence is one of the relevant themes in my own experience. John may be obstinate, hostile, withdrawn, and lonely, but no one can claim he does not throw his heart and soul into a mission. When he is working on his graduate studies, he is so concentrated on proposing a unique concept that he does not have a moment for anything else, and it rewards off in the end. He discovers a massive, innovative theory that would someday earn him the Newbery Medal when he is much older. When he is diagnosed with a brain tumor, he must find a way to keep working and caring for his household while attempting to recover.

The second relevant theme, in my perspective, is wisdom and knowledge. Because most of the film takes place at or nearby Princeton and MIT, it is purely a conceptual story. John is a brilliant scientist who earns a living researching and concocting huge ideas. Nothing is more essential to him than being intellectual and contributing to scholarly sense perception (Howard, 2001). He values knowledge and education so much that he can’t bear it when his medications hinder him from functioning, so he stops taking them, even if it puts him in danger.

Love and sex have been important topics in my life. These are not John Nash’s inherent areas of expertise. When it comes to the ladies, John is routinely and excruciatingly inept. It is partly because he is such an intelligent guy, as he tells his mate, Charles. He is just more at ease with figures and concepts than with individuals. If one has begun dating, the person is well aware that coping with affection and love is a great lesson in interacting with customers. Finally, madness has been a recurring feature in my very own life. The film uses a variety of cinematography approaches to depict psychiatric disorders sympathetically. The spectator gets a glimpse into what goes on within a person’s memory when they will suffer from a debilitating sickness that plagues Nash’s life and how he overcomes it to enjoy a prosperous life.

Significant lessons learned

One of the lessons gained was maintaining continuous concentration and exploring new ideas. Nash enters as a founder of the renowned Carnegie Scholarship at Princeton University, where the film begins. Nash is under pressure from his professors and his colleagues to submit articles and get them published as soon as possible, but he is not willing to cease on his goal. He refuses to accept what he views as unoriginal or progressive works, even when it means losing a placement opportunity. He remains committed to his aim and writes a renowned article on match negotiation, earning him a spot at MIT.

To be successful, one must learn not to leave any questions unanswered. When Nash was at Princeton, he did not get along with Martin Hansen, the Carnegie fellow’s co-recipient. But, knowing how important it is for Nash to get out of the house, Alicia proposes that he visit with his former nemesis Hansen, now the director of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics, and request a license to practice out of the bookstore and audio lectures. Nash is not optimistic, given their former antagonism and his current psychological condition, but he is surprised to learn that Hansen has always treated him as a colleague. Nash’s desires are granted, but he is allowed to continue despite a disastrous first day.

It is important to surround one with individuals who will support them even when they are at their worst. When Nash finds himself in a psychiatric ward, his career appears to be ruined, but he has his family as his only source of support. Luckily, he had selected the special person in Alicia, who backed him and persisted with him despite the indicators of mental disorder and understanding how uncomfortable he could be. When Nash nearly drowns their child and then accidentally pushes her to the floor, she figures out a way to care for him, inspire him, and become the cornerstone he requires, despite the doctor’s prescription.

Another lesson in the film is that there may be more than one way to solve problems. As bright as he was, Nash was not a particularly gregarious person. When he was giving a presentation one day and found the industrial noise outside distracting, he closed all the windows, although it was extremely hot. He ignored the pupils’ pleas to maintain at least one panel open and continued his lesson, completely oblivious to their distress. One of the pupils, Alicia, stands up, actually opens, and politely asks the men out to work somewhere else.

Movie Symbols and Their Meanings to You

In his film A Beautiful Mind, Director Ron Howard uses things to signify and reveal a deeper significance than they seem in their original state. Nash’s high level of intellect is presented at the beginning of the film through the usage of a glass prism. Nash places the colorful in the sunlight, which causes light waves to reflect on his mate’s tie. Howard’s use of the optical prism alludes to Nash’s IQ being superior to that of the average person.

Nash banging his forehead on the window in his bedroom is another scenario in which Howard uses symbolism to illustrate a hidden significance. The window in the movie could be interpreted as a figurative impediment to accomplishing his major advancement thesis. The use of a glass panel represents the fragility and vulnerability of the pane, where he can reach a groundbreaking thesis with his intellectual ability.

As the film progressed, an unforeseen storyline twist occurred, introducing the possibility that Nash had schizophrenia. The audience picks up on the sense of an unreliable narrator. The significance of truth vs. illusion, as well as approval, is discussed. Nash suffers due to his inability to distinguish whether or not a person is real. Nash’s delusions about stopping the Russians and his inability to recognize his illusion cause him significant stress. As a result, he will aim to support the US in its fight against the Russians. Nash finally learns to disregard his delusions after many unsuccessful attempts at accepting the truth.

Emotional Reactions to the Specific Scenes/Moments of the Movie

I get emotional breakdowns whenever I watch the episode or hear the music. James Horner’s song is both lovely and deep and dark at the same time; thus, it is extremely accurate to the movie. I can pay attention to creating governing dynamics and instantly feel uplifted and cheerful. However, when I watch the car chase and Alicia notices Nash’s dark biosphere, I shiver, and my skin gets chilly. The part where John is restrained and given therapies while Alicia stands by and watches him makes me cry. Every time I see the movie, I find myself in tears. Acknowledging that Nash’s best buddies are not real makes me cry.

Aspects of the Movie That Influence Your Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors

People’s ideas, attitudes, and behaviors influence their perceptions of normal and deviant conduct. Alicia believed that their relationship’s success hinged on their willingness and ability to see John in a positive light. Nash became a professor because he believed in teaching and perseverance. Because of Nash’s behavior, he once decided not to take treatment, which led to severe mental illness. Nash’s perseverance and faith in his job are unquestionably factors contributing to his success.

What the Film Is Saying or Educating About Psychological Illnesses

There is no instant treatment for mental disorders is a lesson learned regarding psychological illness. It looked like John only stayed in the hospital for a brief time, receiving medical treatment and taking the necessary medications, before returning to his study, which is incorrect. Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that necessitates ongoing counseling and medication to assist the patient modifies and dealing with the affliction.

How Preconceived Ideas about People with Psychological Illnesses Influenced Your Response to the Film

The film A Beautiful Mind influenced my response to psychological illness. Traditional techniques of medicine result in realities of severe mental disease and hence should be avoided. Even though medication is not a cure for schizophrenia, it is an unavoidable part of treatment and should be strictly followed. Furthermore, people should take long–the term effects of caring for those with mental illness and stop rushing on quick medication.

Possible Diagnoses from the DSM-IV Identified In This Film and Symptoms Seen

If significant hallucinations or delusions have been maintained for at least one month, schizophrenia can be diagnosed. This dimensions-based strategy is likely to be the most probable method for resolving illness mixtures. The symptoms seen are hallucinations and delusions, affecting the protagonist Nash. Disorganized speech, Catatonic or grossly disorganized behavior are also symptoms that are also observed. In addition, negative symptoms such as alogia, flat affect, and avolition are identified.

In “A Beautiful Mind,” Nash is depicted as a skilled constructor of reality. He is trying to make a living in a complicated world full of conceptual, symbolic representations invisible to inexperienced eyes. Nevertheless, the uncertainty does not imply that the actuality Nash attempted to depict does not exist. Nash’s struggle with schizophrenia improved symptoms that prompted him to stop taking his medications. According to him, ignoring narcotics resulted in 25 years of largely delusory thinking. Although Nash achieved a stable state without treatment, his schizophrenic signs did not fully vanish, but they did lessen in severity.

Howard, R. (2001). A beautiful Mind [Video]. United States, Universal Pictures.

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Mental Health

Why “A Beautiful Mind” misrepresents schizophrenia

“A Beautiful Mind” is a critically acclaimed movie based on the life of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician and Nobel Laureate.

The film explores Nash’s struggle with schizophrenia, portraying his remarkable achievements in the face of mental illness. However, despite its positive reception and widespread acclaim, “A Beautiful Mind” has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of schizophrenia.

This article aims to dissect the misrepresentations of schizophrenia in the movie and shed light on the misconceptions it perpetuates.

The Romanticization of Schizophrenia

One of the major critiques of “A Beautiful Mind” is the romanticized portrayal of schizophrenia. The movie portrays Nash’s hallucinations and delusions as a source of inspiration and insight.

While it is true that some individuals with schizophrenia experience auditory and visual hallucinations, these symptoms are often distressing, confusing, and disruptive to their lives. By romanticizing these symptoms, the movie fails to capture the reality of the disorder and perpetuates the inaccurate belief that schizophrenia is somehow beautiful or magical.

Distorted Perception of Symptoms

The film also misrepresents the symptoms of schizophrenia by presenting them in an overly dramatized and sensationalized manner. Nash’s hallucinations are depicted as vivid and visually captivating, often with complex imagery and hidden meanings.

In reality, hallucinations experienced by individuals with schizophrenia are typically more mundane, consisting of distorted perceptions of ordinary objects or voices speaking to them. By sensationalizing these symptoms, the movie fails to accurately convey the distress and confusion that individuals with schizophrenia experience.

Inadequate Portrayal of Negative Symptoms

Another significant misrepresentation in “A Beautiful Mind” is its inadequate portrayal of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms refer to the absence of normal behaviors rather than the presence of abnormal ones.

These symptoms include social withdrawal, diminished emotional expression, and anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure in activities). While the movie briefly touches on Nash’s social withdrawal, it fails to depict the full extent of negative symptoms and their impact on his life.

This omission perpetuates the misconception that schizophrenia is primarily characterized by hallucinations and delusions, neglecting the debilitating nature of negative symptoms.

Overemphasis on Nash’s Genius

One of the main criticisms of “A Beautiful Mind” is its excessive focus on John Nash’s exceptional intellectual abilities, overshadowing the reality of his schizophrenia.

The movie portrays Nash’s genius and his mental illness as inseparable, suggesting that his mathematical prowess is somehow intertwined with his schizophrenia. This portrayal reinforces the stereotype that people with mental illnesses are either exceptionally gifted or troubled geniuses.

In reality, schizophrenia affects individuals across a wide range of intellectual abilities, and not all individuals with the disorder possess exceptional talents.

Minimizing the Impact on Relationships

“A Beautiful Mind” also fails to adequately address the impact of schizophrenia on Nash’s relationships, particularly with his wife, Alicia.

While the movie depicts Alicia’s unwavering support and dedication to Nash, it downplays the immense strain that schizophrenia can place on relationships. The challenges of living with someone with schizophrenia, including the disruptions caused by symptoms, the need for constant caregiving, and the emotional toll it takes on loved ones, are largely overlooked.

By omitting these aspects, the movie presents an incomplete picture of the reality faced by individuals and families affected by schizophrenia.

Depiction of Treatment and Recovery

The movie inaccurately portrays the treatment and recovery process for schizophrenia.

It suggests that Nash was able to overcome his symptoms through sheer willpower and the passage of time, completely disregarding the importance of evidence-based treatments such as medication and therapy.

While Nash’s journey towards stabilization and recovery is undoubtedly commendable, it is important to recognize that successful management of schizophrenia typically involves a combination of pharmacological interventions, psychosocial support, and ongoing treatment. By omitting these crucial aspects, the movie perpetuates the misconception that sheer determination alone can overcome the challenges of schizophrenia.

Stigma Reinforcement

One of the overarching concerns surrounding the misrepresentation of schizophrenia in “A Beautiful Mind” is the reinforcement of stigma.

The film contributes to the portrayal of individuals with schizophrenia as either dangerous, unpredictable individuals or as brilliant mad geniuses. This perpetuates stereotypes and fuels the social stigma faced by individuals with mental illnesses. It is essential to challenge these misconceptions and strive for accurate and empathetic portrayals that promote understanding and compassion.

The Importance of Accurate Representation

The inaccurate depiction of schizophrenia in “A Beautiful Mind” highlights the significance of accurate representation in media. Media plays a powerful role in shaping public perceptions and understanding of mental illnesses.

Misrepresentations, such as those seen in this film, can contribute to misinformation, stigma, and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. It is crucial for filmmakers, writers, and storytellers to strive for accuracy, authenticity, and sensitivity when portraying mental health conditions to promote understanding and reduce the stigma surrounding them.

“A Beautiful Mind” is undoubtedly a captivating and compelling movie that explores the life of a brilliant mathematician grappling with schizophrenia. However, it is important to recognize its misrepresentations of the disorder.

By romanticizing symptoms, exaggerating certain aspects, and minimizing others, the movie fails to accurately portray the reality of schizophrenia. It is essential to challenge these misrepresentations and strive for more accurate and empathetic depictions to foster understanding, support, and empathy towards individuals with schizophrenia.

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A Beautiful Mind: Film Review and Analysis

Table of contents, a beautiful movie.

• Grazer, B. (Producer), & Howard, R. (Director). (2001). A Beautiful Mind [Motion Picture]. United States: Imagine Entertainment.
• Nasar, S. (2011). A Beautiful Mind. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
• Rockwell, C. (2002). A Beautiful Mind (Film). Cineaste, 27(3), 36. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=7035635&site=ehost-live
• Thacker, M. & Hughes, C. (2013). Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind. Mental Health Clinician. 2(8), 246-247 https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.n132978

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Schizophrenia in “A Beautiful Mind” Film by Howard

Supportive approach, criticism approach, other movies, works cited.

Directed by Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind is a chef-d’oeuvre film centered on the life and mental illness of the renowned mathematician, John Forbes Nash. The movie is based on a biography with the same name written by Sylvia Nasar. The storyline starts in 1947 when John Nash, the protagonist, arrives at Princeton University on a mathematics scholarship and gets a roommate, Charles Herman. It follows Nash’s life from the university highlighting his troubled perspectives as he struggles to establish himself as a distinguished scholar. After his initial troubles in economics where he endeavors to develop the game theory, his mathematical prowess leaves him with new roles (Howard). On top of working for the Department of Defense on an intelligence mission, Nash is a teacher, researcher, and husband to Alicia. However, with the increasing complexity of life, he develops schizophrenia that comes with an array of problems like hallucinations and paranoia which affect his normal functioning.

The screenwriter, Akiva Goldsmith, has changed some aspects of the book’s account of John Nash to fit into the popular culture and redeem heroism by avoiding issues that could dampen the protagonist’s quest to overcoming a mental disease and living a normal life. Despite the changes, the movie’s director succeeds in portraying a balanced story that highlights the plight of schizophrenia and the role of willpower in managing the condition. It is successful in communicating emotional depth and struggle through metaphors and artistic retellings of general film tropes. The film explains how Nash’s disability, schizophrenia, has affected his professional and normal life. The movie goes on to show that having schizophrenia will not stop one from pursuing his or her desires. According to Torres et al., schizophrenia is a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves and it causes people to seem as if they are out of touch with reality” (342). This paper explores two perspectives of criticizing the movie. The first one argues that the film shows the positive outcomes of disability and it wants the stigma attached to it to go away. Conversely, the other perspective argues that the film is overly beautified which does not show the negative outcomes of schizophrenia like how it affects the people close to the victim.

Despite the inaccuracy, Howard’s use of visual hallucinations to highlight the emotions of a schizophrenic is highly effective as it allows the audience to understand victim’s struggles. Auditory hallucinations would hardly leave the same impact. The movie underscores several key elements that portray schizophrenia as a disability that should be dealt with through medication and social support. Schizophrenic symptoms present in the early 20s, and while Nash shows the first signs of this condition in his 30s, it is within the accepted onset period. The movie highlights different symptoms associated with this disability like delusions and social withdrawal. According to Torres et al., the common symptoms of schizophrenia include “depression, social withdrawal, delusions, flat gaze, suspiciousness, and apathy” (343). Different scenes concerning these symptoms stand out throughout the film. For instance, when Nash gets to Princeton, he has a non-existent roommate called Charles. This scene foreshadows the imminent full-blown schizophrenia that is about to befall the protagonist. In another case where he hallucinates arguing on the university grounds before the students, he appears to be shouting at no one in particular. In addition, he does not speak often as he appears to be withdrawn and even when he talks, he does not show or elicit emotions. Moreover, the film has several examples of tropes like Nash being a broken ace and a successful student having partial difficulties with the onset of schizophrenia. Overall, the events involving Nash in the opening scenes of the movie are consistent with someone showing early signs of schizophrenia and thus the movie is accurate in this portrayal.

The peak of Nash’s delusions is realized at Harvard University as he gives a lecture on the progress of his mathematics research. This section of the movie highlights different truths associated with schizophrenia. Delusions, as the most important symptoms of this disorder, cause Nash to imagine that Soviet agents are in the audience with the intention of capturing him. He thus punches Dr. Rosen and tries to flee. This scene underscores the challenges that schizophrenic individuals undergo in life. Delusions affect one’s way of life and they can lead to life-threatening situations. Howard shows the challenges involved in distinguishing imaginary things and reality. He also employs symbolism to underscore the two sides. Charles and Marcee are symbols of the social support that individuals get from the society. On the other, Parcher and the Russian agents represent the dark side of this condition characterized by paranoia and delusions.

In the psychiatric hospital, the audience is exposed to the unconventional methods that were used to treat schizophrenia in the 1950s. According to Carpenter and Koenig, during this time, “psychiatrists would induce fevers in their patients, sometimes using injections of sulfur or oil…sleep therapy, gas therapy, electroconvulsive or electroshock treatment, and prefrontal leucotomy-the removal of the part of the brain that processes emotions” (2063). Nash undergoes painful insulin therapy which creates physical and emotional suffering. The focus on his pained body and lack of focus on Alicia, with her back turned to him, shows the emotional struggle in the scene. Before the introduction of antipsychotic drugs, the management of schizophrenia was a daunting task as victims faced all manner of treatments. Therefore, Howard succeeds in presenting a historically accurate account of schizophrenia.

The element of relapse also stands out in the movie. According to Emsley et al., if antipsychotic medication is discontinued, one has high chances of relapse (118). Howard underscores this fact when Nash relapses after he stops taking his medication. In addition, the drugs are affecting Nash’s ability to think freely and advance his research on mathematics. This assertion underscores a common occurrence with people suffering from schizophrenia when they take such drugs which have a dulling effect. Torres et al. give scientific proof that antipsychotic drugs change brain structure and functioning (342). Therefore, the movie is accurate in this aspect as Nash’s creative genius is affected due to the medication he is taking.

The movie has several moments of disclosure like when Nash realizes that Marcee does not age and after he finally explains the idea behind his game theory. In addition, in the scene where Alicia flees with her baby, Nash runs after her and admits the realization that not everything that has happened is real. At this point, he realizes that he is suffering from delusion. After this period, Nash confronts his condition and starts living a normal life. He goes back to Princeton and continues working on his project where he ultimately wins the coveted Nobel Prize award. This scene portrays the movie’s accuracy in depicting schizophrenia. Psychiatrists agree that talking about one’s mental disorder plays a major role in the management of the condition and the recovery process (Waugh et al. 460). Therefore, it suffices to conclude that the movie captures the importance of mental illnesses and the stigma associated with it accurately.

Critics have questioned the historical and contextual accuracy of the movie. The underlying argument here is that the movie is overly beautified and it does not underscore the negative impacts associated with this mental disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) IV describes delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, alogia, avolition, and social dysfunction as characteristic symptoms of the disease but there is individual variance in their appearance (Lishman 285). The movie oversimplifies schizophrenia and presents it as an insignificant condition that can be dealt with using willpower. Longmore highlights this kind of trope where movies overlook the prevalence of a disability and find a quick solution to show how such cases are underwhelming. According to the movie, Nash stops taking medication, relapses, and comes back to handle his mental problems through acknowledgment and willpower. This portrayal is misleading and while the director might have used it to achieve heroism and romanticism, it does not happen for people suffering from this debilitating disorder. Longmore notes that rehabilitation is ignored in drama and Howard confirms this assertion by allowing Nash to overcome his condition through willpower. According to Carpenter and Koenig, only one person out of five will recover from schizophrenia (2065). The recovery process is not as easy as Howard puts it in the movie. For the few that recover, they have to undergo a combination of numerous therapies including antipsychotic medication, counseling, and undying support from family members, friends, and society. The insinuation that people can overcome schizophrenia through willpower is misguided and victims of this condition may be tempted to stop their medication which will have adverse effects in the end. Critics point to this twisted portrayal as an indication of how the movie if beautified to overlook serious issues related to the disorder.

In addition, the hallucinations that Nash experiences are mostly auditory. However, other aspects of his behavior tend to contradict with reality which is a show of an inaccurate representation of schizophrenia” (“A Beautiful Mind: Analyzing How Schizophrenia Is Portrayed in Movies Versus Reality”). Nash constantly sees and converses with non-existent people like Charles, Marcee, and Parcher. While this style is pleasing for screenplays, it does not reflect the nature of the condition. According to Carpenter and Koenig, most schizophrenics rarely have visual hallucinations and even when they occur, they are abstract (2065), which contradicts Howard’s portrayal in the film. On the contrary, victims of this disorder are constantly under the siege of taunting voices thus making it difficult to lead normal lives. Such people cannot differentiate reality from imaginations and thus they live in a limbo trying to figure out what makes sense.

Akiva Goldsmith changed the original story as a way of beautifying the movie script for different purposes including heroism. The life of John Nash was different from what the movie shows in different aspects. For instance, the protagonist in the film could not come out as sexist and abusive towards women due to the popular culture whereby such traits were unacceptable. To allow the protagonist to have qualities of that nature and still be the hero of the movie is tantamount to supporting such vices and it passes the wrong message to the audience. Therefore, some critics agree that it is highly relevant that the movie misses the protagonist’s terrible treatment of his wife, his sexist nature, and homosexual innuendos that characterized Nash’s life (Tunzelmann). Therefore, it suffices to conclude that the movie is overly beautified as it fails to capture important aspects of schizophrenia and the stigmatization associated with it.

One other movie with an outstanding portrayal of schizophrenia is Revolution #9 directed by Tim McCann. The storyline chronicles the life of Jackson, a successful New Yorker living a normal life with a wife and an apartment. Jackson suffers from schizophrenia at a young age, which affects the way he relates to people around him. He becomes delusional and thinks that a television advert is orchestrating his downfall and thus he becomes obsessed with it. At the peak of his delusions, Jackson performance at work slumps and he is finally fired (McCann). His family and friends abandon him before becoming broke. He believes that a certain advertisement company is behind his woes and he sets out to unravel the conspiracy. He poses as a film journalist to meet the director of the company where he confronts him and expresses his concerns. He later ends up in hospital, but he does not get the relieve he is yearning. Tired of the medication, pain, and stigma associated with schizophrenia, he accesses the hospital’s rooftop and contemplates committing suicide by jumping. The movie’s portrayal of schizophrenia is similar to A Beautiful Mind in several aspects. Jackson develops the mental disorder at a young age just like Nash. In addition, the two characters are obsessed with something that they think is after their lives. While Jackson blames a television advert, Nash thinks some Russian agents are out to kill him. The pain that accompanies treatment of schizophrenia and the associated stigma stands out in the two movies, which explains why Jackson wants to commit suicide. Overall, the two films show the debilitating effects of schizophrenia coupled with how it can negatively change the lives of those affected.

The film, A Beautiful Mind, chronicles the life of John Nash as he struggles to cope with schizophrenia as a student, husband, father, and mathematician. The portrayal of this disorder in the movie has drawn different opinions. Proponents of the movie argue that the director, Howard, portrays schizophrenia in a way that underscores its seriousness and the accompanying stigmatization. On the other hand, critics hold that the movie fails to highlight important aspects of the disorder by being overly beautified. Proponents cite Nash’s delusional episodes coupled with paranoia together with the medication process as some of the issues underscoring the film’s accuracy in portraying schizophrenia. However, according to critics, the suggestion that this mental condition can be overcome through willpower is a beautification quest to water down the seriousness of the disease. Nevertheless, some of the critics acknowledge the necessity of changing the original story to fit into the social demands and popular culture at the time. This paper holds that the proponents’ views outweigh those of the critics and thus it suffices to conclude that the film, A Beautiful Mind, is an accurate portrayal of the effects of schizophrenia to its victims.

“A Beautiful Mind: Analyzing How Schizophrenia is Portrayed in Movies Versus Reality.”  Osu.Edu. Web.

Carpenter, William, and James Koenig. “The Evolution of Drug Development in Schizophrenia: Past Issues and Future Opportunities.” Neuropsychopharmacology , vol. 33, no. 9, 2008, pp. 2061–2079.

Emsley, Robin, et al. “The Nature of Relapse in Schizophrenia.” BMC Psychiatry , vol. 13, no. 50, 2013, pp. 117-121.

Howard, Rob, director. A Beautiful Mind. Universal Pictures, 2002.

Lishman, William. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association, 1994.

McCann, Tim, director. Revolution #9. Rockville Pictures Inc., 2001.

Torres, Ulysses dos Santos, et al. “Structural Brain Changes Associated with Antipsychotic Treatment in Schizophrenia as Revealed by Voxel-Based Morphometric MRI: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis.” BMC Psychiatry , vol.13, no.4, 2013, pp. 342-348.

Tunzelmann, Alex. “A Beautiful Mind Hides Ugly Truths” . The Guardian , 2012. Web.

Waugh, William, et al. “Exploring Experiences of and Attitudes towards Mental Illness and Disclosure amongst Health Care Professionals: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Mental Health , vol. 26, no. 5, 2014, pp. 457-463.

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June 4, 2015

"Beautiful Mind" John Nash's Schizophrenia "Disappeared" as He Aged

The Princeton mathematician, who along with his wife died in a car crash last month, claimed that aging as opposed to medicine helped improve his condition

By Rachael Rettner & LiveScience

Mathematician John Nash, who died May 23 in a car accident, was known for his decades-long battle with schizophrenia—a struggle famously depicted in the 2001 Oscar-winning film "A Beautiful Mind." Nash had apparently recovered from the disease later in life, which he said was done without medication.

But how often do people recover from schizophrenia, and how does such a destructive disease disappear?

Nash developed symptoms of schizophrenia in the late 1950s, when he was around age 30, after he made groundbreaking contributions to the field of mathematics, including the extension of game theory, or the math of decision making. He began to exhibit bizarre behavior and experience paranoia and delusions,  according to The New York Times . Over the next several decades, he was hospitalized several times, and was on and off anti-psychotic medications.

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But in the 1980s, when Nash was in his 50s, his condition began to improve. In an email to a colleague in the mid-1990s, Nash said, "I emerged from irrational thinking, ultimately, without medicine other than the natural hormonal changes of aging," according to The New York Times. Nash and his wife Alicia died, at ages 86 and 82, respectively, in a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike while en route home from a trip on which Nash had received a prestigious award for his work.

Studies done in the 1930s, before  medications for schizophrenia  were available, found that about 20 percent of patients recovered on their own, while 80 percent did not, said Dr. Gilda Moreno, a clinical psychologist at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. More recent studies have found that, with treatment, up to 60 percent of schizophrenia patients can achieve remission, which researchers define as having minimal symptoms for at least six months, according to  a 2010 review study in the journal Advances in Psychiatric Treatment .

It's not clear why only some schizophrenia patients get better, but researchers do know that a number of factors are linked with better outcomes. Nash appeared to have had many of these factors in his favor, Moreno said.  [ 5 Controversial Mental Health Treatments ]

People who have a later onset of the disease tend to do better than those who experience their first episode of psychosis in their teens, Moreno said. ("Psychosis" refers to losing touch with reality, exhibited by symptoms like delusions.) Nash was 30 years old when he started to experience symptoms of schizophrenia, which include  hallucinations and delusions .

In addition, social factors—such as having a job, a supportive community and a family that is able to help with everyday tasks—are also linked with better outcomes for schizophrenia patients, Moreno said.

Nash had supportive colleagues who helped him find jobs where people were protective of him, and a wife who cared for him and took him into her house even after the couple divorced, which may have prevented him from becoming homeless,  according to an episode of the PBS show "American Experience" that focused on Nash . "He had all those protective factors," Moreno said.

Some researchers have noted that patients with schizophrenia tend to get better as they age.

"We know, as a general rule, with exceptions, that as people with schizophrenia age, they have fewer symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations," Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a psychiatrist who specializes in schizophrenia, said in  an interview with "American Experience."

However, Moreno said that many patients will get worse over time if they don't have access to proper medical care and are not in a supportive environment.

"When you have a schizophrenic who has had the multiple psychotic breaks, there is a downward path," Moreno said. Patients suffer financially because they can't work, physically because they can't take care of themselves, and socially because their bizarre behaviors distance them from others, Moreno said.

It may be that the people who have supportive environments are the ones who are able to live to an older age, and have a better outcome, Moreno said.

Still, there is no guarantee that someone will recover from schizophrenia—a patient may have all the protective factors but not recover, Moreno said. Most patients cope with their symptoms for their entire lives, but many are also able to live rewarding lives,  according to the National Institute of Mental Health .

Future research into the causes of the disease may lead to better ways to prevent and treat the illness, NIMH says.

Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind

Top 10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders

5 Seriously Mind-Boggling Math Facts

Copyright 2015  LiveScience , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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A Review of John Nash’s Movie, a Beautiful Mind

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Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange is a novel pervaded by a multifaceted and intrinsic musical presence. Protagonist Alex’s fondness for classical music imbues his character with interesting dimensions, and resonates well [...]

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