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Defined as a biographical drama film A Beautiful Mind was originally a

screen play written by Akiva Goldsman. In 2001 Ron Howard directed this
film, in which over the years it was nominated for awards 50 times and won
33 of those awards. John Nash was a mathematical genius. Mathematics can
be considered its own language this day and age. Nash could solve
mathematical problems and equations that would leave many other people
that are of the greatest Mathematicians perplexed.
This film takes us through the life of John Nash picking up in early
adulthood when he was a student at Princeton University. After school Nash
became a teacher and eventually married one of his students named Alicia.
Nash goes through a series of ups and downs while struggling with delusions,
hallucinations, and other symptoms of Schizophrenia Disorder. A few
attempts with shock therapy proved to be unsuccessful. Antipsychotic
medications had terrible side effects. With the help of his wife Nash is able
to somewhat overcome the negative effects of the Schizophrenia Disorder. In
the end of the film after receiving a Nobel Prize he once again sees his three
imaginary friends. His wife asks, What is wrong? and he answers by
saying, Nothing. This leads me to believe that he has come to terms with
his illness and is in somewhat good place mentally.
Schizophrenia is defined in the dictionary as a long-term mental
disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought,
emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions
and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy

and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation. Schizophrenia can be

defined many different ways. A more simple definition would be that
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality
abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations,
delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior.
An assortment of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dysfunctions
make up the characteristic symptoms of Schizophrenia. However, no single
symptom characterizes this disorder. All individuals vary in regards to the
signs and symptoms of this disorder. Two of the Criterion A symptoms must
be present at some time during a period of one month or more. One of those
symptoms must be a clear presence of delusions. No two cases are exactly
alike. Thus, Schizophrenia is known as a heterogeneous syndrome.
As noted in the DSM 5 below is the Diagnostic Criteria for
Schizophrenia:
A. Two (or more) of the following each present for a significant portion of
time during a one month period (or less if successfully treated). At
least

one of these must be one of the first three symptoms listed:

Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
Negative symptoms (i.e., diminished emotional expression or

avolition)
B. For a significant portion of time since the onset of the disturbance,
level of functioning in one or more major areas, such as work,
interpersonal relations, or self-care, is markedly below the level

achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or

adolescence, there is failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal,
academic, or occupational functioning).
C. Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. The
6-month period must include one month of symptoms (or less if
successfully treated) that meet Criterion A (i.e., active-phase
symptoms) and may include periods of prodromal or residual
symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, he signs of the
disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or y two or
more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form
(e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).
D. Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder with
psychotic features have been ruled out because either 1) no major
depressive or manic episodes have occurred concurrently with the
active-phase symptoms, or 2) if mood episodes have occurred during
active-phase symptoms, they have been present for a minority of the
total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness.
E. The disturbance is not attributable to the psychological effects of a
substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical
condition.
F. If there is history of autism spectrum disorder or a communication
disorder of childhood onset, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is
made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations, in addition to the
other required symptoms of schizophrenia, are also present for at least
one month (or less if successfully treated).

John Nash showed many positive and negative symptoms of

Schizophrenia. Loss of emotion and/or a diminished emotional express is
common. Towards the end of the film Nash is shown placing his child in a tub
filling with water, the baby is screaming at the top of its lungs, and he has no
emotion. Its as if the crying doesnt faze him and he does not even sense
that the baby is in danger, needs help, and could possibly die. Nash
experienced both visual and auditory illusions. What stood out the most
would be the hallucination he had of Ed Harris a government official who
needed Nash to break codes to assist the United States Government. More
often than not Johns mind was preoccupied with this hallucination of him
being some sort of secret government agent assisting Ed Harris. Nash also
hallucinated about a roommate while in college named Charles. Eventually
Charles niece also became a part of Johns hallucinations. Disorganized
thinking was also a symptom that Nash suffered from. This can be explained
by the notes his wife found all over the shack that was located behind their
home, which in hallucinations was a head-quarters that he reported to for
the government.
After being diagnosed the effects of Schizophrenia followed Nash for
decades. Researching the truth outside of what was portrayed to have
happened in the movie. I learned that parts of his social function was
affected and at one point his peers in the academic community frowned
upon the effects that this illness had on him and they distanced themselves.

His wife divorced him later divorced him. He eventually learned to deal with
the voices.
My opinion of people with mental illness has changed tremendously.
Before I viewed mental illness negatively and did not know that people with
mental illness could actually lead somewhat productive lives. In all actuality
John Nash suffered from Schizophrenia but mentally his IQ surpasses my own
in regards to Mathematics. I use to think that was impossible. I always
thought that mental illness impaired an individual so much that they couldnt
lead normal lives especially being able to think on the level that John Nash
was able to in order to solve mathematical equations that would be
impossible for the average person to solve. A person with mental illness
may have episodes but can go undetected in society. John Nash was a
professor at Princeton. Who wouldve know that someone with such a high
honor was living life with mental illness as serious as Schizophrenia?
I learned so much about mental illness over the past few weeks.
Some things that I viewed as a person just too much into themselves is
actually a recognized disorder. Before this class I wouldnt have known that
to be Narcissistic Disorder. Or that extreme attention seeking is also a
Disorder known as Histrionic Personality Disorder. The lesson learned is that
in most cases with some form of therapy and medication people with mental
illness can live productive lives. You shouldnt judge people it is actually
harder to live with mental illness than without it.

References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American
Psychiatric Publishing.
Inaba, Darryl, William E. Cohen, and Michael E. Holstein. Uppers, Downers,
All Arounders: Physical and Mental Effects of Psychoactive Drugs. Ashland,
OR: CNS Productions, 1993. Print

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia
http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/001617.html#