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 Nashs recovery and
achievement of his amazing potential as a gifted intellectual. A Beautiful Mind credits the love
and faith of Nashs 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 Nashs 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 friends 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 Nashs 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 didnt recognize it wasnt 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 Nashs 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 worlds 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 arent 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 Nashs 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; peoples 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.