Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 1

Case Study Assignment

Analysis of the movie “A Beautiful Mind” and the suggested treatment of

Schizophrenia

Hieu Nguyen

PS 150 002

Professor Nicolette Salerno

Caldwell College

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 2

In this case study paper, I would like to introduce a topic of Schizophrenia through the

lenses of the movie “A Beautiful Mind” depicting John Nash, the main character suffering from

this mental disorder and my suggested treatment of Schizophrenia.

A Beautiful Mind is an inspiring story about triumph over schizophrenia, among the most

devastating and disabling of all mental disorders because it succeeds in realistically describing

the disturbed thinking, emotion, perception, and behavior that characterizes the disorder, and

shows the difficult task of management of and/or recovery from the disorder. The movie

communicates the vital importance of the factors that contributed to Nash’s recovery and

achievement of his amazing potential as a gifted intellectual. A Beautiful Mind credits the love

and faith of Nash’s wife, Alicia, as a significant factor in his recovery. (Akiva Goldsman, Ron

Howard, 2002).

The movie is loosely based on the book of the same name and tells the story of John

Forbes Nash Jr. At the beginning of the film, the character John Nash arrives as a new student at

Princeton University. He is introduced to his imaginary roommate Charles, who would later

become his best friend, as well as a group of male students who hang out together. The first part

of the film shows Nash’s intellectual concepts and his social deficiencies. In college Nash begins

to work on the concept of governing dynamics. During the entire first part of the film, Nash does

not know that his roommate and best friend, his friend’s young niece and a mysterious

Department of Defense agent are all hallucinations and are part of a psychotic ailment known as

schizophrenia. (Abram Hoffer, 2002)

While studying at Princeton, one of Nash’s fellow students remarked that he was

“handsome as a god.” Nash did not seek isolation as implied in the film, but rather “Nash was

very interested that everyone would recognize how smart he was, not because he needed this

admiration, but anyone who didn’t recognize it wasn’t on top of things.” Also, Nash was not the

victim of bullying by his peers but was the bully himself who would mock his fellow students

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 3

calling them ‘hackers.’ He was beyond confident; he actually met with Albert Einstein to discuss

his own theories in physics. The movie makes it a specific point to highlight that Nash never

attended a class, but the biography is clear that he avoided classes but would sit in from time to

time. Nash did not simply think classes were a waste of his time. He felt they were counter-

productive because they would cause him to think like others had thought. (John Jaques, 2002)

     As the movie starts, it depicts Nash played by Crowe sitting patiently. It in no way qualifies in

the opening that the middle age Crowe is actually playing a 21 year-old. The movie quickly

introduces Nash supposed roommate who is later revealed to be figment of his crazed mind.

However, Nash knew he did not have a roommate because one of the benefits of his scholarship

at Princeton was a private room, a point given his ego he would not have kept secret. There is

also the small matter that Nash never suffered a mental illness until years after his Princeton

school days (Sylvia Nasar, 2001.) As Nash moves on from Princeton having completed his six-

page dissertation containing the Nash Equilibrium, Nash assumed a position at MIT. During his

time at MIT, Nash made a significant mathematical accomplishment that went unmentioned in

the movie. After the conclusion of Nash’s studies as a student at Princeton, the agent encourages

Nash to look for patterns in magazines and newspapers, accordingly to stop a Soviet plot.

Consequently, Nash begins to have increasingly paranoid delusions that lead him to behave

erratically. A fellow co-worker of Nash reports his behavior to the authorities; as a result he is

forcibly sedated him is sent to a psychiatric facility. Nash is then confronted with the truth of his

schizophrenia. Initially this situation feeds his paranoia that the Soviets were trying to extract

information from him, but his wife is able to show him the unopened “top secret” documents,

which convinces him that he has been hallucinating.

Nash is released on the condition of agreeing to take antipsychotic medication. However, these

drugs create terrible side-effects on his personality, his relationship with his wife, and his

intellect. Nash stops taking his medication, triggering a relapse of his schizophrenia. After a

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 4

dangerous situation occurs between his wife and child Nash finally realizes these people are not

“real” and he has been imaging them the whole time. He then fully accepts that all three of them

are, in fact, part of his psychosis. Caught between having to choose the intellectual paralysis of

the antipsychotic drugs or the haunting of his disease, Nash and his wife decide to try to live with

his schizophrenia. Nash begins to try to ignore his hallucinations and therefore not feed the

thoughts.

            The rest of the movie depicts Nash growing older while working on his studies in the

library of Princeton University. He still suffers hallucinations and periodically has to check if

new people he meets are real, but ultimately he develops the ability to live with and largely

ignore his mental problems. Eventually, Nash begins to teach at the university and is honored by

his fellow professors for his lifetime achievement. Nash goes on to be awarded Nobel Prize for

Economics for his work on game theory. (IMDB)

Nash suffered from the mental illness, known as Schizophrenia, almost all his life.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness and is one of the most serious of the chronic, persistent

mental illnesses. It affects one percent of the world’s population, and strikes people of every

race, every economic group and is found in a whole range of mental abilities.  People with this

illness have disturbed and disorganized thinking, language, and behavior. They may see, hear, or

feel things that aren’t really there.

            The term schizophrenia means “split mind.” Those who have it seem to have normal

mental function in some areas but are very disturbed in others. For example, a person may talk in

bizarre ways but be able to do math, such as Nash and his abilities. The symptoms of

schizophrenia include constant, complex and compelling delusions. Some delusions are

extravagant and seem very realistic. Sometimes they are persecutory and the person believes that

others are plotting against him. Some delusions are referential, as in John Nash’s case where he

believed that newspaper passages were sending him secret messages, that certain numbers held

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 5

mystical meanings.  Schizophrenia brings hyper awareness, sensory excess, and a strange

wakefulness; it creates a false perception on life. People with schizophrenia tend to withdraw and

to lack motivation and energy, which are called negative symptoms of the illness. Disruptive

behavior, hearing voices, and having delusional thoughts are positive symptoms.

            Often the affected person hears berating, terrifying voices. They may order the person to

commit violence or feel guilt. The voices are a constant frightening conversation of sound

interfering with outside reality. Visual hallucinations also may occur; people’s faces can shift

and change and frightening and bizarre visions are seen. At times, the world appears to be a

dangerous and threatening place that is out of the control of the affected person. Many people

with the illness become so afraid to venture outside that they are prisoners in their homes. Others

wander the streets shouting their delusions out loud. Many homeless people suffer from

schizophrenia, due to their condition and amount of stress.

            Schizophrenia is a biologically based illness. It is not caused by bad parenting, stressful

situations or lack of will power. However, stress may trigger an attack in a genetically pre-

disposed person. Some scientists believe that something might happen before birth, such as a

viral infection in the womb that causes schizophrenia decades later. Special scans, such as PET

(positron-emission tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), have been used to look

at the brains of people with this illness. Lab studies have shown that nerve cells in some parts of

the brains of schizophrenics may be misaligned or damaged.

Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, treatments focus on eliminating

the symptoms of the disease. Treatments include antipsychotic medications and various

psychosocial treatments. One of these medications, clozapine (Clozaril) is an effective

medication that treats psychotic symptoms, hallucinations, and breaks with reality. But clozapine

can sometimes cause a serious problem called agranulocytosis, which is a loss of the white blood

cells that help a person fight infection. People who take clozapine must get their white blood cell

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 6

counts checked every week or two. This problem and the cost of blood tests make treatment with

clozapine difficult for many people. But clozapine is potentially helpful for people who do not

respond to other antipsychotic medications. Other atypical antipsychotics were also developed.

None cause agranulocytosis. Some people have side effects when they start taking these

medications. Most side effects go away after a few days and often can be managed successfully.

People who are taking antipsychotics should not drive until they adjust to their new medication.

Atypical antipsychotic medications can cause major weight gain and changes in a person's

metabolism. This may increase a person's risk of getting diabetes and high cholesterol. A

person's weight, glucose levels, and lipid levels should be monitored regularly by a doctor while

taking an atypical antipsychotic medication.

Long-term use of typical antipsychotic medications may lead to a condition called tardive

dyskinesia (TD). TD causes muscle movements a person can't control. The movements

commonly happen around the mouth. TD can range from mild to severe, and in some people the

problem cannot be cured. Sometimes people with TD recover partially or fully after they stop

taking the medication. TD happens to fewer people who take the atypical antipsychotics, but

some people may still get TD. People who think that they might have TD should check with their

doctor before stopping their medication. Psychosocial treatments can help people with

schizophrenia who are already stabilized on antipsychotic medication. Psychosocial treatments

help these patients deal with the everyday challenges of the illness, such as difficulty with

communication, self-care, work, and forming and keeping relationships. Learning and using

coping mechanisms to address these problems allow people with schizophrenia to socialize and

attend school and work.

Patients who receive regular psychosocial treatment also are more likely to keep taking

their medication, and they are less likely to have relapses or be hospitalized. A therapist can help

patients better understand and adjust to living with schizophrenia. The therapist can provide

Caldwell College – PS 150 002 – Case Study Assignment 7

education about the disorder, common symptoms or problems patients may experience, and the

importance of staying on medications. For example, People with schizophrenia can take an

active role in managing their own illness. Once patients learn basic facts about schizophrenia and

its treatment, they can make informed decisions about their care. If they know how to watch for

the early warning signs of relapse and make a plan to respond, patients can learn to prevent

relapses. Patients can also use coping skills to deal with persistent symptoms.

Schizophrenia affects one percent of Americans, so it brings out great attention of the

society towards the Schizophrenia patients. John Nash depicted in “A Beautiful Mind” suffers

from such mental disorders and have been through tough times in his life though he is a genius in

Math. Because treatment of Schizophrenia is ambiguous, no concrete methods can be suggested

to help the patients recover from Schizophrenia; however, the common symptoms and signs such

as hallucinations and delusions play a great role in diagnosing this disorder.