A Beautiful Mind and Schizophrenia

Psychotic Disorders

O Are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind.

O They alter a persons ability to think clearly, understand reality and communicate effectively.

O There are different types of psychotic disorders, but we explore one specifically that a brilliant mathematician struggled with most of his life….Schizophrenia.

John Forbes Nash, Jr.O John Nash was a mathematician and later a Senior Research

Mathematician at Princeton University.

O In 1959, signs of his illness became apparent and spent years in psychiatric hospitals for treatment of his paranoid schizophrenia.

O In 1994 he received the Nobel memorial Prize in Economic Sciences from the work he completed at Princeton as a graduate student.

O A biography and the film “A Beautiful Mind” was based on his recovery and struggle with the illness.

The Film: A Beautiful Mind

O Is a 2001 biographical drama film based on the life of John Nash Jr.

O The film features Russell Crowe starring as John Nash.

O It begins with John Nash attending Princeton University and follows his life into his later years.

O He develops paranoid schizophrenia while in school and it progresses as he ages. Creating more elaborate delusional episodes, as the stress of life builds with it.

SchizophreniaO Schizophrenia is a mental disorder displaying

abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is reality.

O Symptoms include auditory hallucinations, distorted thoughts and paranoia.

O It can be difficult to treat, but not impossible.

O Roughly 25% of diagnosed schizophrenics have a full recovery. 50% will witness improvement in their symptoms. (WebMD)

Hallucinations vs DelusionsO Hallucination:

O Are a false or distorted sensory experience. They are created by the mind rather then an external stimuli.

O Occurs when emotional, environment, or factors such as stress, medication, fatigue, or mental illness.

O Experiences can include: vision, auditory (voices or sounds), touch, smell, and taste.

O Delusion:O Commonly defined as a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief

that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception.

O Are a common symptom of several mood and personality-related mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Nash’s HallucinationsO Nash experienced multiple visual/auditory

hallucinations throughout the film and it took many years before he began to realize they were not real. The following were regular hallucinations that followed him.

O Charles: Nash’s first hallucination. He’s depicted as his

college roommate. Charles plays the drinking buddy type personality, but also a true friend for Nash to trust and talk too. Charles is later known to Nash’s wife as a life long friend of Johns, who she never has actually met or seen.

O Parcher: In the film, Nash assists the military by deciphering a code. This seemed to set the foundation for a “G-Man” type hallucination by the name of Parcher (Played by Ed Harris). This is also the beginning to his paranoid schizophrenia, as this hallucination leads him to continue code deciphering to help stop a Russian nuclear bomb that does not exist in reality.

O Marcee: Nash’s first hallucination Charles, introduces a new hallucination. She is his young niece, Charles describes how he became Marcee’s guardian after his sister, was killed in an accident. From that point forward, she is generally around when Charles is. A breakthrough for Nash is coming to realize that she never ages.

TreatmentO Nash is taken to a psychiatric hospital by

a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Rosen.

O Rosen begins to explore these hallucinations of people that Nash deals with, this leads to Rosen witnessing Nash cut his wrist open in search of an implant he believed the government put in his arm.

O Rosen diagnoses Nash with “Schizophrenia”, and begins a 10 week Insulin shock therapy treatment.

O Nash is later prescribed antipsychotic medications, but stops taking them and the hallucinations return.

Thoughts…O Schizophrenia can make life very difficult for those who live with it

every day. As shown in the movie this took a toll on his studies, career and family. The light for those diagnosed is that its still possible to continue to work and have a family.

O The issue is not being able to view reality as a normal person’s brain would. Everything seems so real to Nash, that it wasn’t until his wife was about to leave him, that he realized Marcee never aged, and that it all must be a creation in his own mind.

O In the film they point out the therapy/medications is what helped him control the hallucinations, but it was also learning to live with them and not engage the false reality they presented.

O The film also shows an aged Nash questioning new faces in his life, never knowing if his mind was creating another illusion. He would ask a student to identify if the person he was about to speak to was real. His critical thinking helped him cope throughout the years.

ReferencesO www.wikipedia.com

O A Beautiful Mind (Film)O John Forbes Jr.O SchizophreniaO Psychotic DisordersO Delusions

O www.IMDB.comO A Beautiful Mind (Film)

O www.webmd.comO SchizophreniaO Psychotic Disorders