The movie A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash a math genius with schizophrenia. This movie begins with John entering Princeton’s graduate program to study mathematics. Early symptoms of schizophrenia are evident and they continue to be present in his later life when he receives the Nobel Prize despite his disability. The schizophrenia gets worse as the movie progresses, mainly because of John’s pretend military work. We can learn about the struggles of someone who has schizophrenia by watching scenes from the film.
The movie starts with John being a brilliant genius, who is socially awkward. It then progresses into showing how schizophrenia affects him. John is introduced to other students in the beginning of the film. He makes jokes around but ends by offending others and then leaving. He then returns to his bedroom where he finds Charles, a graduate English student. John’s schizophrenia was revealed to the public for the first. John’s delusions were really noticeable when he was giving a talk about his research in the film. In the middle of his speech, he begins to see a group of men dressed in suits. He believes they are spies sent to capture John. These spies then chase him as he runs from the room. This scene shows how schizophrenia is different from other disabilities. The scene shows how schizophrenics have trouble separating real from imaginary. The movie did not make it clear whether the first scene was the lecture or the spin. After analyzing the film, I found that John had delusions that led him to think he was a FBI agent. He thinks he’s been breaking top-secret soviet codes and has been sending this research to an top-secret mailbox.
According to my own research on schizophrenia, the movie is not a completely accurate representation of John’s condition. According to the film, Nash was not diagnosed with schizophrenia until his mid-30s. The symptoms Nash experienced were not as severe as those that can be seen in schizophrenia. Other symptoms are also discussed in the movie, including delusions and a soft or low voice. These symptoms are seen in the beginning, when Charles shows up and when John is speaking to other graduate students. His disability may be a part of the reason he doesn’t speak much and does so with little emotion. He is shown by his wife that William is not an agent, and his envelopes were never opened. John is instructed to take medication that will help with his schizophrenia. Later, when the sessions get violent, restraints must be used to keep John down under the supervision of a doctor team. John realized that schizophrenia was the cause of his behavior after his wife convinced him there were no spies.
John returns to his normal routine and research after leaving the hospital. He was still required to take medications to treat his symptoms. In the past, he has said that taking his medicine made him unable to think clearly. As a result, his research was hindered. John stops taking the medication to be able to think clearly. He becomes delusional after stopping his medication. John tells his wife that Charles is watching their baby while he is having a psychotic attack. John’s research will be slowed down by his return to the hospital to take medicine. He learns how to control the delusions. He had to continue to manage his delusions, which was difficult but not impossible. John returned to his research during this period and was awarded the Nobel Prize. John’s delusions have been somewhat contained and he has returned to a more normal life.
I concluded that schizophrenia is accurately depicted in this film after watching it and reading reviews. The difference between imaginary and real-life. John managed to control his Schizophrenia without taking any medication. I find this movie to be a very accurate representation of schizophrenia.
