The media is a source of information about mental illness. The media portrayal of schizophrenia is stereotypical due to the stigma and general ignorance about schizophrenia. In most cases, individuals with schizophrenia are portrayed as homicidal maniacs or violent alcoholics. The film A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of a famous schizophrenic mathematician, John Forbes Nash Jr who won the Nobel Prize (Nash, 2007). The film captures the progression of schizophrenia as Nash goes through different life stages to show that individuals with schizophrenia can do extraordinary things such as winning a Nobel Prize.
The main character in the film begins displaying abnormal behavior throughout the film. The viewers can tell that Nash is an odd character from the beginning. Nash, a recipient of the prestigious Carnegie award for mathematicians, arrives at Princeton University. Nash believes that classes are a waste of time; he is a loner and an eccentric character. He appears nervous because he is always trying to solve difficult math problems (Milnor, 1995). Nash shows some symptoms of schizophrenia from the time he arrives at graduate school. According to Guccione et al. (2019), schizophrenia makes it hard for someone to distinguish between what is real and unreal such that one will have a hard time thinking clearly and functioning normally. The five symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and negative behavior.
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In the initial scene, Nash is introducing himself to other graduate students. Nash describes their work as unoriginal and brags about how he will come up with an original idea. After the incident, Nash heads to his room where he meets his roommate, Charles, an English graduate student. This is the first form of delusion, even though the viewers are not fully aware of Nash's schizophrenia. Guccione et al. (2019) point out that schizophrenia begin showing in late teenage years or early 20s, and while Nash's symptoms appear later, they are still within the accepted range.
Nash portrays other symptoms as the film progresses, including hallucinations, speaking with a 'flat effect,' disorganized behavior, and negative behavior. As the film progresses, it is apparent that he has delusions about Charles and his niece, Marcee (Capps, 2011). Nash has auditory delusions because all along he engaged in conversations with Charles. A significant symptom occurred when Nash was giving a speech about his current mathematical research. Nash sees men in the aisles of lecture rooms, who he believes are Soviet spies before running out of the room. His delusions worsen when Nash believes that he is working for the Department of Defense under the agent William Parcher. Nash believes that he has been working for Parcher to break the secret code and delivers them using top secret sealed envelopes. At this point, his wife Alicia tries to tell that there is no top secret code-breaking and even tracks down the top-secret documents.
The progression of the film and Nash's schizophrenia reveal a lot about the condition. The viewers agree the schizophrenia gets worse without the right intervention. Nash cannot differentiate between real and imaginary things as his behavior continues to change (Grieve & Nielsen, 2013). After his time at the treatment facility, Nash began taking schizophrenia medication, and his symptoms reduced.
There are different interventions for schizophrenia as per the five abnormal psychological perspectives. Behaviorists believe that abnormality is a maladaptive behavior pattern that is harmful to the individual. According to behavioral theorists, all behavior, including abnormal behavior, is learned from the environment, and it can also be 'unlearnt.' Behaviorists apply classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning to treat abnormal behavior. The goal of the treatment is to change behavioral patterns over time by introducing positive behaviors to counteract the maladaptive behaviors.
Alternatively, the psychodynamic perspective states that abnormal behavior is a consequence of anxiety due to unresolved and unconscious conflicts. Sigmund Freud popularized this perspective in his theory that divides human consciousness into id, ego, and superego. The three aspects of human consciousness are after different things, and this can result in unresolved conflict (Guccione et al., 2019). According to psychodynamic theorists, the treatment for schizophrenia lies in identifying and resolving the internal conflicts. John's schizophrenia could have been triggered by an internal conflict that destabilized him and made him act abnormally.
The biological perspective towards abnormal behavior is a popular approach claiming that biological and physiological factors cause abnormal behavior. Researchers have attempted to find the gene and the abnormalities in the brain structure for individuals with schizophrenia. Evidence shows a close biological relationship such that individuals with a family history of schizophrenia are more likely to get schizophrenia. Biologists rely on hospitalizations and drugs to treat schizophrenia. As in the case of Nash, the medicine suppresses specific symptoms of schizophrenia.
The cognitive perspective of abnormal behavior states that people engage in those behaviors because of their false assumptions. According to Frith (2014), cognitivism argues that the way people think cause problems rather than mental disorders. Treatment plan aims to unlearn maladaptive habits and to replace them with useful ones. Using cognitive treatment for schizophrenia is challenging as schizophrenia is too elusive to construct. It is hard to construct using the clinical parameters of psychiatry, which is why therapists combine cognitive approach with other perspectives. Medications have been known to have positive effects even when they come with unpleasant consequences for the patients.
Lastly, the socio-cultural perspective claims that abnormal behavior stems from the social context ranging from the family, community, and culture. Many aspects of human behavior are learned through culture. For instance, anorexia nervosa is common in modern society because of the contemporary views of beauty. There are socio-cultural factors that have implications on schizophrenia; for example, schizophrenia is common in the low social class. The suspect proposes addressing the socio-cultural issues that cause abnormal behavior. Nash was under immense pressure to be the best mathematician; he wanted to outshine his colleagues in Princeton and MIT, and this could have contributed to his schizophrenia.
In conclusion, the best perspective is a biological perspective as it has proven to suppress the side effects of schizophrenia. The biological perspective suggests that schizophrenia can be treated through hospitalization and drugs. Studies show that antipsychotic medications can control many positive symptoms of schizophrenia (McFarlane, 2016). While the biological approach is the best approach, patients with schizophrenia respond better to a combination of treatment. A combination of therapies addresses comorbid mood disorders and anxiety and past traumas. Studies show that a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy with the biological perspective reduces the overall amount of positive symptoms and the length of hospital admission. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) emphasizes coping strategies and new strategies of responses to cues and ongoing problems. CBT normalizes the experience of delusions and hallucinations associated with schizophrenia such that patients will re-evaluate them rather than acting on them. CBT addresses the secondary effects of emotional distress while offering a patient-centered approach to address individual symptoms and experience.
References
Capps, D. (2011). John Nash, game theory, and the schizophrenic brain. Journal of religion and health , 50 (1), 145-162.
Frith, C. D. (2014). The cognitive neuropsychology of schizophrenia . Psychology press.
Guccione, C., di Scalea, G. L., Ambrosecchia, M., Terrone, G., Di Cesare, G., Ducci, G., & Caretti, V. (2019). Early Signs of Schizophrenia and Autonomic Nervous System Dysregulation: A Literature Review. Clinical Neuropsychiatry , 16 (2).
McFarlane, W. R. (2016). Family interventions for schizophrenia and the psychoses: A review. Family Process , 55 (3), 460-482.
Milnor, J. (1995). A nobel prize for John Nash. The Mathematical Intelligencer , 17 (3), 11-17.
Nash, J. (2007). The Essential John Nash . Princeton University Press.
