Simarjot Sahni 1

A Beautiful Mind: Schizophrenia

In this research paper, I will discuss the mental disorder schizophrenia and the

ways in which John Forbes Nash, the main character of the movie “A Beautiful Mind”,

dealt with it. I will also define the mental disorder; discuss the symptoms, the causes,

the treatments, and give examples of how schizophrenia was exhibited in the movie.

In the movie, "A Beautiful Mind", John Nash, is a mathematician who suffers from

schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is actually the most chronic and disabling of the major

mental disorders and it distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions,

interprets reality, and relates to others. The movie accurately depicts the nature of

schizophrenia using Nash as a perfect example, who exhibits many of the key

symptoms of the disease such as poor social skills, awkward gestures and facial

expressions, and jumbled speech. While studying at Princeton University, Nash

struggles to establish his legacy in the world of mathematics. Eventually, Nash

revolutionizes a theory that earns him the Nobel Prize. Nash then falls in love with one

of his students, Alicia Larde, while teaching at Princeton after graduation. Once he is

married, the government requests Nash to help break secret Soviet codes, which lands

him in the center of a conspiracy plot. Since he believes that he is working for the

government, Nash is very secretive and protective of his work, causing his wife to

become more and more suspicious of him. Eventually, Nash is confronted with the truth

of his schizophrenia and finally realizes that the people he has been talking to are not

"real" and that he has been imaging them the whole time. He then fully accepts that

they are part of his psychosis. Trapped between having to choose the intellectual

paralysis of the antipsychotic drugs or the haunting of his disease, Nash and his wife
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decide to try to live with his schizophrenia. Nash then begins to try to ignore his

hallucinations and not feed the thoughts. He still suffers hallucinations and periodically

has to check if new people he meets are real.

Schizophrenia is a major psychological problem that affects many aspects of

daily life. The word schizophrenia is derived from the Greek language; schizo meaning

"to split" or "to cut" and phren which means "reason" or "mind". Those diagnosed with

schizophrenia may have positive symptoms or negative symptoms. People with positive

symptoms may include hallucinations, talk in disorganized and deluded ways, and

exhibit inappropriate laughter, tears or rage. Those with negative symptoms have

toneless voices, expressionless faces, or mute and rigid bodies. These symptoms could

have more than one cause (Myers Pg 485). Schizophrenia appears to be caused by

many things such as stress, heredity, drugs, other medical illness, physical injury to the

brain, and an imbalance of the chemicals dopamine and serotonin in the brain.

Dopamine is responsible for emotions, motivation, and movement. Serotonin is involved

in regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite. The brains of people with schizophrenia have

abnormalities in dopamine and serotonin activity (Helpguide.org). Forms of treatment

include self care at home with the supervision of family members and psychosocial

treatments; these include individual psychotherapy, rehabilitation, family education

(learning more about the mental disorders), and self help groups

Throughout the movie, Nash exhibited many symptoms of schizophrenia. He

often engaged in conversations with his imagined friend and roommate, Charles

Herman. Nash also stated that William Archer an imagined government agent assigned

him to do work as a spy for the government and deliver the secret assignments at
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nights. However Nash’s wife, Alicia realized that her husband was hallucinating and

helped him to realize that Charles Herman, William Archer, and Marcy were all

fragments of his imagination. Nash also illustrated that he was no longer capable of

functioning at work because he was continuously engaging in the imagined government

assignments instead of attending class on a regular basis. He was also unable to

function socially, he withdrew himself from his friends and he was no longer capable to

care for his own baby, especially the scene in which he was out of touch with reality,

that he left the baby unattended in the tub. Nash suffered from paranoid schizophrenia,

because of which he believed he was going to get killed by the Soviets. Paranoid

schizophrenics tend to have delusions of persecution, auditory hallucinations, yet

intellect and intelligence are not affected (Myers 486). Nash was without a doubt a very

intelligent man, which was evidenced by his ability to solve equations and develop

economic models. Paranoid schizophrenics can also suffer from irrational jealousy.

During his graduate studies, Nash felt an extreme competition among his peers. Nash

was determined to prove himself as far more intelligent than his classmates. Nash was

also experiencing problems with his wife as a result of his inability to engage in sexual

activities and his wife’s inability to clearly comprehend the gruesome effects of

schizophrenia. People who have schizophrenia vary widely in their behavior as they

struggle with a mental disorder which is beyond their control. Some may ramble in

illogical sentences or react with uncontrolled anger. Nash exhibited this symptom

especially when he was in the presence of others who were not aware of his mental

disorder. They may not be able to hold down jobs or even perform tasks as simple as

maintaining conversation just like how Nash exhibited in the movie.

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In addition to providing a lot of information and insight into the psychological

condition of schizophrenia, the movie also gives an insight on the treatment and cures

of such a disease and a portrayal of how the life for the individual and for the individual's

family is to be. As a result to Nash’s condition he was sent to a psychiatric clinic where

he was given Electro-Convulsive (ECT) Therapy five times a week for two weeks and

Shock Coma Therapy (SCT) five times a week for ten weeks. During the ECT, a brief

electric current was sent through the brain and during SCT large doses of insulin were

administered which would reduce the blood sugar and brought on a seizure-like state

and then a comatose state (Priory Medical Journals Online). After finally being sent

home, he was prescribed antipsychotics and was to take two every day. This affected

his thinking and his ability to perform even the simplest tasks. Nash had the support of

his wife, Alicia, which was very instrumental in his recovery.

In conclusion, the movie A Beautiful Mind is an excellent movie that people of all

ages should watch. It demonstrates the challenges that individuals with schizophrenia

encounter and it also demonstrates that the support of family is very vital for individuals

with schizophrenia in order for them to cope with the effects of this mental disorder. The

movie A Beautiful Mind showed realistic imagines that John Forbes Nash encountered

and problems that other individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and

other mental disorders will most likely experience. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder

that cannot be controlled by those who are diagnosed with it, however we should still be

generous and loving to these individuals so that they will feel loved and appreciated

despite the mental disorders that they may have.