A Beautiful Mind Movie Psychology

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that effects thirty-two million Americans. Although it is often diagnosed in young adulthood, it is becoming more prevalent in younger generations as we learn how to diagnose the symptoms earlier and by advancing our knowledge on the genetic coding of the disease. Distinguishing symptoms of schizophrenia vary and are generally divided into three categories - positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms. Patients suffering with positive symptoms often lose touch with reality and may experience hallucinations which are things that cannot be seen, heard, smelled, or felt by others. Delusions or false beliefs are also common symptoms and may cause severe paranoia as the patient believes

Among them are; Syd Barrett, British musician and creator of Pink Floyd, Eduard Einstein , the son of Albert Einstein, painter Vincent van Gogh, and Brian Wilson , member of The Beach Boys. This, combined with the sometimes bizarre symptoms associated with it, has made schizophrenia and those suffering from it the topic of many big screen movies. Some of these movies include: Shutter Island, Lilith, Benny and Joon, The Fisher King, and The Soloist. A Beautiful Mind released in 2001 chronicles the life of John Nash, Nobel Prize winning economist and mathematician. During the movie, the audience sees Nash attend college and develop a powerful bond with his roommate and his young niece. He then goes on to work as a code decryption agent for a secret division of the United States Department of Defense - all of which turns out to be symptoms of his illness. The movie does such a good job of showing just how real hallucinations can seem to the patient with schizophrenia that the viewer even has trouble deciphering reality from delusion at times. In addition to several difficult episodes in his life due to psychosis, the movie-goer also sees Nash's struggle with treatment and the side effects of it. While the movie is very entertaining and thought-provoking, further research of this man's life finds that it is not entirely accurate. For cinematic purposes, life with schizophrenia is somewhat romanticized. Even the title A Beautiful Mind evokes thoughts of romance and poetry. Many of the "uglier" aspects of Nash's biography are omitted in the big-screen version of his life. The movie completely ignores the existence of an illegitimate child, his divorce and an alter ego he sometimes assumed during his many breaks from reality. Also, the film does not accurately describe how difficult recovery is for most patients. It seemed to suggest that a patient can simply decide that he will