Schizophrenia In Joe Wright's Film, The Soloist

Directed by Joe Wright, The Soloist is a drama consigned film starring actors Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Based on a true story and the novel written by author Steve Lopez, the film illustrates the tale of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia disorder and soon after became homeless. Nathaniel, portrayed by Jamie Foxx was contemplated as a cello prodigy and Steve Lopez portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. While strolling through the streets of downtown Los Angeles after a bike incident, Lopez heard a violin being played gracefully and followed it’s vibrant sound, where he stumbled across Ayers and introduced himself. The two began to engulf in a conversation in which Lopez learned Ayers once attended Juilliard. Curious as to how a former student of such a prestigious school ended up on the streets, Lopez and Ayers

The word was derived from the Greek roots schizo which means split and phrene which means mind, to describe the fragmented thinking of people with the disorder. Involving a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional symptoms, schizophrenia is a disorder consisting of unreal or disorganized thoughts and perceptions. The five domains of psychotic symptoms that define schizophrenia include four positive symptoms which are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts/speech and disorganized or abnormal motor behavior including catatonia; a disorganized behavior that reflects unresponsiveness to the environment. These are described as positive symptoms because they represent overt expressions of unusual perceptions, thoughts and behaviors. Schizophrenia also consists of negative symptoms such as restricted emotional expression or affect. Negative symptoms involve the loss of certain qualities of the person rather than the behaviors or thoughts the person expresses