Schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind: Understanding the Pathophysiology and Treatment

This essay discusses the disease of Schizophrenia in the context of the movie “A Beautiful Mind”. It focuses on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, treatment options, and the impact of the disease on the central character and his family.

Running head: A BEAUTIFUL MIND
A Beautiful Mind
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1A BEAUTIFUL MIND
“I think a lot of psychopaths are just geniuses who drove so fast that they lost control.”
The above quoted lines of Criss Jami from her famous work “Killosophy” gives a
pertinent overview of the concept of Schizophrenia and its related aspects. Diseases have
formed a part of the human world since the ancient times and it is significant to note that
although the human beings have made a considerable amount of process in the fields of
technology as well as innovations yet they have not been able to curb the various diseases
which has been inflicting them since the traditional times (Hoirisch-Clapauch & Nardi,
2013). The various mental diseases, on the other hand, unlike the other genres of diseases
have been a part of the human world for a very long yet it only recently that they have gained
a significant amount of prominence (Hoirisch-Clapauch & Nardi, 2013). One of the major
reasons for this particular factor is that the people with the various mental diseases have been
subjected to much stigmatization since the ancient times and therefore the people suffering
from the various kinds of mental diseases and also the family members of the people
suffering from this particular kind of disease do not come out in the open and seek therapy
for the same (Hoirisch-Clapauch & Nardi, 2013). However, it is only recently that with the
recent innovations and the change in the attitude of the people as regards the way that they
behave towards the people who are suffering the various kinds of mental health problems
(Hoirisch-Clapauch & Nardi, 2013). This essay will discuss about the disease of
Schizophrenia in the context of the movie “A Beautiful Mind”.
The movie “A Beautiful Mind” centers round the character of “John Nash, a Nobel
Laureate in Economics” (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). It is a biographical movie
and focusing on the life as well as the career of John Nash and his life long struggle with the
disease of Schizophrenia (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). It is significant to note that
the character Nash has been portrayed as an introvert and as a person who does not likes to
interact with the other people (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). Therefore, he was

2A BEAUTIFUL MIND
subjected to bullying during his school, colleges and university days and during the entire
course of his life for that matter. Thus, for the most part of his life he sought refuge in the
comfort of the books and his own company. However, in his own opinion he would not have
been able to undertake the works as well as the theories propounded by him had he been a
normal person “I wouldn't have had good scientific ideas if I had thought more normally. If I
felt completely pressureless I don't think I would have gone in this pattern” (Andreasen et al.,
2012). However, from a mental perspective he was prone to various bouts of depression right
from his childhood and his condition became prone after his marriage with “Alicia Lardé
López-Harrison” (Andreasen et al., 2012). It is significant to note that he was having “dream
delusions” right from his high school days and in the opinion of many people it was this
particular fact which enabled him to become a mathematical genius (John F. Nash Jr. -
Biographical., 2018). Furthermore, the lack of social interaction with the other people also
contributed to the mental delusions faced by Nash in a significant manner (John F. Nash Jr. -
Biographical., 2018). Moreover, he suffered from “disorganized thinking” which in turn led
to the problem of disorganized speech from which he suffered his entire life (John F. Nash Jr.
- Biographical., 2018). It is significant to note that during the course of the movie he himself
says that “I see changes occurring like fast-moving weather systems” (Andreasen et al.,
2012). In addition to these, he also exhibited the various negative symptoms like the lack of
eye contact while having a conversation, doesn't change facial expressions or speaks in a
monotone (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018).
Schizophrenia is “a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of the processes
of thinking and of emotional responsiveness” (Schomerus, Matschinger & Angermeyer,
2013). In the present times the various theorists have tried to explain this particular theory in
the light of various theories (Ellaithy et al., 2015). It is a reflection of this that the patho-
physiology of this particular mental disorder has gained significance. The “pathophysiology

3A BEAUTIFUL MIND
of schizophrenia” has been a topic of much discussion and has undergone much
transformation in the recent times (Schomerus, Matschinger & Angermeyer, 2013). In the
opinion of many people the following are the major processes related to the “pathophysiology
of schizophrenia”- “Dopamine dysfunction, Glutamate abnormalities, Interneuron
dysfunction, Myelination abnormalities, Immune system abnormalities, Oxidative stress and
Neuropathology” (Ellaithy et al., 2015). The “dopamine dysfunction” is related to the
“increased striatal availability of D2/D3 receptors in the striatum, as well as studies finding
elevated CSF levels of dopamine metabolites” which forms one of the major reasons for the
mental disorder of schizophrenia (Ellaithy et al., 2015). The “Glutamate abnormalities”, on
other hand, refers to the “neurotransmitter glutamate and the reduced function of the NMDA
glutamate receptor in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia” (Drögemöller et al., 2013). The
“Interneuron dysfunction” is related to the “dysfunction of interneurons in the brain”
whereas the “Myelination abnormalities” is related to the “abnormalities in myelination”
which in the opinion of many people forms one of the root causes of the mental disease
(Drögemöller et al., 2013). The “Immune system abnormalities”, on the other hand,
“postulates that inflammation and immune system abnormalities could play a central role in
the disease” (Drögemöller et al., 2013). Furthermore, the “Oxidative stress” takes into
consideration the role played by the various kinds of oxidative stress in this particular
disorder (Drögemöller et al., 2013). The Neuropathology, on the other hand, relates to the
“examination of brain tissue and the lack of neurodegenerative lesions or gliosis”
(Drögemöller et al., 2013). These in short are some of the major “pathophysiology of
schizophrenia”.
The central character of the movie “A Beautiful Mind” is John Nash and he suffers
from schizophrenia (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). It is significant to note that the
central character of the movie does not receive any specific medication or intervention during

4A BEAUTIFUL MIND
the course of the movie (Andreasen et al., 2012). The only support which he receives is from
the active support of his wife and friends. It is significant to note that his wife acts as one of
the pillars of his life and supports him during the entire course of his life and also his career
(Andreasen et al., 2012). The first major bought of schizophrenia inflicted him when his wife
was pregnant with her first child (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). The love as well as
the admiration of his wife becomes apparent in her famous comment about the career as well
as work of Nash “Nash was solving classical mathematical problems, difficult problems,
something that nobody else was able to do, not even to imagine how to do it. ... But what
Nash discovered in the course of his constructions of isometric embeddings is far from
'classical' — it is something that brings about a dramatic alteration of our understanding of
the basic logic of analysis and differential geometry. Judging from the classical perspective,
what Nash has achieved in his papers is as impossible as the story of his life ... [H]is work on
isometric immersions ... opened a new world of mathematics that stretches in front of our
eyes in yet unknown directions and still waits to be explored” (John F. Nash Jr. -
Biographical., 2018). Furthermore, in the opinion of many people the active role as well as
support of the wife of Nash was one of the major reasons for the success attained by Nash in
the later part of his career. It is significant to note that the people suffering from the mental
problem of schizophrenia require the active care as well as the support of the family members
(John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). In this particular context the opinion of the wife of
Nash is important to note when she says that “Nash’s lifelong quest for meaning, control, and
recognition in the context of a continuing struggle, not just in society, but in the warring
impulses of his paradoxical self, was now reduced to a caricature. Just as the over-
concreteness of a dream is related to the intangible themes of waking life, Nash’s search for a
piece of paper, a carte d’identité, mirrored his former pursuit of mathematical
insights….Survival, both of the self and the world, appears to be at stake. Where once he had

5A BEAUTIFUL MIND
ordered his thoughts and modulated them, he was now subject to their peremptory and
insistent commands” (Andreasen et al., 2012). Thus, the care as well as the support provided
by the wife of Nash played a significant role in not only in the personal life of Nash but also
in the professional career of Nash (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018).
In the present times various kinds of intervention plans as well as theories related to
the treatment of schizophrenia (Nakazawa et al., 2012). The most important intervention
which has gained prominence in the recent times is the “cognitive behavioral therapy”
which focuses on the cognition of the patients suffering from this particular disorder
(Nakazawa et al., 2012). This particular intervention plan aims to treat the various patients
suffering from this particular disease on the basis of their cognition (Nakazawa et al., 2012).
It is significant to note that the behavior of the human beings is related to their cognition
(Nakazawa et al., 2012). Therefore, in the opinion of many people the treatment of the
various people suffering from this particular disorder at the level of their cognition is likely to
help them to overcome this particular disorder in a significant manner (Nakazawa et al.,
2012). Another intervention which has gained prominence in the recent times is the anti-
depression therapy. It is significant to note that one of the major problems faced by the
various people suffering from this particular disorder is the problem of depression (Ripke et
al., 2014). Therefore, providing effective treatment for the depression faced by them is likely
to help them in a significant manner. Furthermore, the “psychotic and non-psychotic
treatment” methods have also gained significant amount of prominence in the recent times
(Ripke et al., 2014). This particular method aims at the treatment of the various patients
suffering from this disorder at the level of their psyche of the patients (Ripke et al., 2014). It
is significant to note that this particular disorder aims to cure the patients at the level of their
psyche by providing them effective medications depending on the level of their problem
(Ripke et al., 2014).

6A BEAUTIFUL MIND
As already mentioned the central character in the movie showed the early signs of the
disorder of schizophrenia right from his early childhood (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical.,
2018). The various kinds of delusional dreams which Nash was having right from his
childhood are examples of this. Another typical example of this is the disorganized speech of
Nash (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). In the opinion of Nash “I spent times of the
order of five to eight months in hospitals in New Jersey, always on an involuntary basis and
always attempting a legal argument for release. And it did happen that when I had been long
enough hospitalized that I would finally renounce my delusional hypotheses and revert to
thinking of myself as a human of more conventional circumstances and return to
mathematical research. In these interludes of, as it were, enforced rationality, I did succeed in
doing some respectable mathematical research” (Andreasen et al., 2012). It is significant to
note that the disorder of Nash had a considerable impact on his family members of his family
(John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). The family members of Nash had to undergo a lot of
problems as well as adjustments on the score of the mental disorder faced by Nash (John F.
Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). The problems faced by the wife of Nash are a pertinent
example of this. It is significant to note that the during her first pregnancy Nash was having a
major attack of schizophrenia and does he was not able to be there for her physically as well
as emotionally for her (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). Furthermore, the wife of Nash
did not get the adequate support which was required to bring up their children on the score of
the disorder as well as the professional career of Nash (John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical.,
2018). However, she defends the support provided by her to Nash in the movie with the
words that “I thought I could save a very worthwhile person” (Andreasen et al., 2012). The
friends of Nash had a certain level of expectation from him however most of the time he was
either suffering from the mental disorder or was busy with his work (John F. Nash Jr. -
Biographical., 2018). Moreover, even the mother as well as the father of Nash had to

7A BEAUTIFUL MIND
undergone a considerable amount of trouble on the score of the mental disorder faced by him
(John F. Nash Jr. - Biographical., 2018). Therefore, it can be said that the disease faced by
Nash had a considerable impact of the family members of him.
The various researchers in the present times have tried to analyze the way this
particular mental disorder affects the family members of the patients. It is significant to note
that the patients suffering from this particular disease not only require the active support but
also the care of their family members (Misiak et al., 2014). The various recent researches
suggest that the active care as they are subjected to constant bouts of depression (Misiak et
al., 2014). As already mentioned, depression is one of the major problems faced by the
people suffering from schizophrenia. In addition to this, it is generally seen that the people
suffering from this particular problem are mostly the introvert people and they are not able to
express themselves in an adequate manner to the other people (Misiak et al., 2014). It is
specifically here that the role played by the various family members becomes important.
Furthermore, it is generally seen that the people suffering from this particular do not have or
more appropriately express their emotions in the normal manner just like the other people
(Misiak et al., 2014). Therefore, the family members need to be patient as well as supportive
for dealing with such kind of people.
As already mentioned the various mental disorders have been a part of the world since
the traditional times however it is only recently that the people have started to come forward
and seek treatment for the diverse kinds of mental disorders (Howes et al., 2016). In the
earlier times the people used to hide their disorders or the problems from the other people
because of the stigma factor with which they were often treated by the society (Howes et al.,
2016). It is significant to note that in comparison to the people suffering from the various
forms of bodily diseases the people with the mental disorders face more amount of
stigmatization (Howes et al., 2016). This is a reflection of the fact that since the ancient times

8A BEAUTIFUL MIND
the brain has been considered as the most important part of the human body and therefore if a
particular person is facing any problem related to the brain then that person is considered
completely useless (Kuhnigk, et al., 2012). It is interesting to note that even in the present
times without the advancements in the fields of science and information the world holds the
same kind of opinion about the people suffering from the various kinds of mental disorders
(Kuhnigk, et al., 2012). It is a reflection of this that the character John Nash had to face a
significant amount of stigmatization in the movie under consideration here. Nash was
stigmatized not only for his strange walking style but also for the manner of his speaking
(Andreasen et al., 2012). Furthermore, he was also stigmatized because of his lack of social
skills and it is a reflection of the stigmatization faced by him that he had to work under a less
talented mathematician at the Princeton University in the later part of his life before he finally
got recognition (Andreasen et al., 2012).
The recent researches as well as the studies also hint towards the same kind of
stigmatization which has been faced by the other people suffering from the same kind of
mental disorder. It is significant to note that the stigmatization related to the various people
suffering from the mental disorders stills continues to haunt them (Steullet et al., 2016).
Furthermore, the recent studies as well as researches suggest that although the level of
stigmatization faced by the people has reduced considerable yet this menace is a reality of not
only their public lives but also private lives (Steullet et al., 2016). It is significant to note that
the people suffering from the various kinds of mental diseases require the active support as
well as the care of not only their family members but also the other members of the society
(Steullet et al., 2016). Therefore, the high level stigmatization faced by the people on the
score of the various mental disorders they suffer from, not only affect them psychologically
but physically as well.

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To conclude, the domain of mental health has gained a considerable amount of
significance in the recent times and within a very short time has become an important part of
the field of medicine. It is significant to note that the various mental disorders have been a
part of the human society since the ancient times however it is only recently that this
particular genre of illness has gained importance. This can be seen as a reflection of not only
of the recent advancements in the fields of technology and innovation but also of the
changing views of the individuals towards the people who are inflicted with this particular
disorders. The people suffering from the various kinds of mental disorders have been
subjected to stigmatization and therefore it becomes very hard for them to sustain themselves
physically as well as emotionally. The people suffering from the various kinds of mental
disorders not only require the support but also the active care of their family members and
friends.

10A BEAUTIFUL MIND
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