As part of our Psychopathology curriculum we had to find a movie that dealt with mental illness and using the DSM-IV-TR diagnose the condition. Below is my assignment on A Beautiful Mind, a movie about a man living with Paranoid Schizophrenia.
“A Beautiful Mind”
The movie, A Beautiful Mind, is loosely based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Prize winning mathematician living with Paranoid Schizophrenia. The movie provides an informative case study of a person living with the condition. The essay attempts to analyse John Nash and verify his diagnosis by highlighting the characteristic symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, using the criteria provided in DSM IV TR.
According to the DSM IV TR social dysfunction is a criteria of Schizophrenia and from the beginning of the movie, it is evident that John Nash’s social skills are poor and it is difficult for him to make and sustain meaningful relationships. The first impression of Nash is that he is awkward and withdrawn. This is illustrated when Nash says to a peer “there is a mathematical explanation for how bad your tie is.” Considering Nash did not know this individual, the comment is insulting and inappropriate. To further highlight this point John states “I don’t like people much and they don’t much like me” and later in the movie he refers to himself as a “lone wolf” due to the fact that he has “no family and no close friends.” These statements indicates his battle to create meaningful interpersonal relationships.
Another good example of Nash’s poor social skills is shown in his interaction with girls. Early in the movie he says to a girl, who is obviously interested in him, “I don’t know exactly what I’m required to say in order for you to have intercourse with me but could we assume I said all that? I mean, essentially we’re talking about fluid exchange right? So could we just go straight to the sex?” This statement is a perfect example of Nash’s disregard for social norms which is what inevitably affects his ability to form relationships.
When, on a second date with his girlfriend Alicia, he says “polishing my interactions in order to make them social requires a tremendous effort. I have a tendency to extradite information by being direct and I often don’t get a pleasant result.” He further goes on to say “I find you attractive. Your aggressive moves toward me indicate that you feel the same way, but still, ritual requires we continue with a number of platonic activities before we have sex. I am proceeding with those activities but, in point of actual fact, all I want to do is have intercourse with you as soon as possible.” This, again, illustrates his poor social skills which affect his ability to create or maintain meaningful relationships and consequently results in social dysfunction. However, while he disregards social norms he acknowledges that his social skills are not in keeping with societal norms and accepts that. This is evident when he says ‘I don’t often get a pleasant result” and “are you going to slap me now?”
Paranoid Schizophrenia is characterized by a preoccupation with one or more delusion and it is only toward the end of the movie that the audience is able to distinguish Nash’s paranoid delusions from reality.
Looking back, the first sign of paranoid delusions comes when Nash has to decipher a code for the United States Army. He sees a man watching him and says “who is big brother.” The delusions seem to snowball from this point and eventually he is introduced to William Parcher, who works for the Department of defense. Parcher explains that The Russians stole an atomic bomb from the United States, which has the potential to kill millions, and they plan to detonate it “on United States soil.” Parcher further explains that a branch of the Russian army, called New Freedom, has agents in the country and that they communicate to their agents “through codes embedded in magazines. Parcher propositions Nash to use his code-breaking skills to find the hidden messages in magazine articles.
Gradually, Nash becomes increasingly nervous and suspicious. For example, on his first date with Alicia he believes two men are watching him and at his wedding he sees Parcher keeping an eye on him.
Nash becomes preoccupied with the delusions to the point that they control his life and interfere with his personal relationships. For example, when he arrives late to meet Alicia for dinner on her birthday, he says “I’m sorry I’m late. I got caught up at work … again.” Again, this is evidence of his preoccupation with a delusion which results in social dysfunction, both of which are criteria of schizophrenia, according to the DSM IV TR.
In addition, his appearance becomes increasingly more disheveled which indicates that his preoccupation with the paranoid delusion leaves him little time to take care of himself. According to DSM IV TR self-care is “markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset” of the condition, in individuals with schizophrenia.
After his marriage to Alicia he becomes more distant and spends more and more time decoding articles for the government. His behavior becomes erratic as he becomes more suspicious and paranoid. One evening he comes home, scared after speaking to Parcher, and proceeds to lock Alicia out of his room while she screams “talk to me!” Another example of how the delusion that has resulted from his condition are affecting his relationships.
His paranoia and suspiciousness also become evident in his behavior and mannerisms and there is a noticeable departure from his usual self. For example, Nash walks around with his brief case very close to his chest as if it contains valuable top secret documents. In addition, he walks into a lecture, still holding his brief case close to him, looks suspiciously out the window and, thinking he sees Russian spy’s, rushes out of the lecture venue. Again, this is evidence of his preoccupation with the delusion, the result of which is social and occupational dysfunction, which is characteristic of an individual with schizophrenia, according to DSM IV TR.
Nash’s paranoia increases when Parcher threatens to put Nash and his family’s lives in danger if he quits working for the government, by letting the Russians knows that he works for them. Nash sits in the dark watching for Russian spy’s and gets aggressive with Alicia when she turns on the light. Later, he says to Herman, another delusion, “I’ve got myself involved in something that I can’t get out of.” This highlights his preoccupation with the delusion.
Eventually, Alicia, who is very worried about her husband, commits him to the hospital but when the psychiatrist comes to take him to the hospital he punches him and shouts to Herman “I know who they are!” “They’re Russians!” The fear that stems from the paranoid delusions controls his life. This persists in hospital which is clear when he says to Alicia “we have to talk quietly. They may be listening. There may be microphones.” It is also evident when he scratches himself until he bleeds to try and find a chip implanted in him by the United States government.
These symptoms continued for years and according to the DSM IV TR in order to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia signs of disturbance must be persistent for at least 6 months which means Nash meets this criteria.
John Nash is a brilliant mathematician living with paranoid schizophrenia. The movie, A Beautiful Mind, portrays Nash’s battle with the condition. Nash suffered from hallucinations and was preoccupied with a delusion which impacted his ability to create and maintain meaningful relationships, work or take care of himself. These symptoms all lasted for longer than six months. According to the DSM IV TR these are all criteria for paranoid schizophrenia and thus he has been accurately diagnosed with the condition.
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