Film Paper - A Beautiful Mind (Alexis C PDF

Preview

Summary

Dr. Spector, analyzing the portrayal of mental illness (schizophrenia) in the paper "A Beautiful Mind"....

Description

Dr. Jacqueline E. Spector Alexis Chandra-Yang

Psych101A: Introductory Psychology Film Assignment Autumn 2019

This assignment is worth 15 points toward your grade. It is due December 2, 2019, no later than 9:00am. Students will be required to watch a film of their choice, the following listed are options: • • • •

Memento – Memory impairments A Beautiful Mind – Schizophrenia The Aviator – Anxiety disorders Silver Linings Playbook – bipolar disorder

I want you to watch the film with a critical eye to some of the psychological issues being portrayed, so do look in the syllabus and read the text for coverage of issues in the film. Then, for the Paper, answer the following questions with two to three paragraphs for each point: 1) Using material from the text (or internet resources), describe your understanding of the disorder portrayed in the film. [This asks you to describe what someone with this disorder might really look like.] Schizophrenia which literally means “split-mind” does not refer to split personality but rather means ‘fragmented pattern of thinking’. This syndrome does not manifest in the same way for every individual. There are a lot of symptoms and different patients experience different symptoms. These symptoms are separated into three categories: Positive, Negative, and Cognitive. Symptoms are usually extreme versions of a normal process occurring in your body (i.e. normal heart rate vs. tachycardia) Positive doesn’t mean that the symptoms are beneficial but rather means that there isn’t a normal process associated with the symptom, it’s new. Negative is referring to the reduction or removal of a normal process. Lastly, cognitive symptoms are subtle and hard to determine and affect memory, learning and understanding. A person with schizophrenia would have two symptoms with at least one being delusions (false beliefs that person strongly unwaveringly, despite evidence, believes are true), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there), and/or disorganized speech (‘word salad’ i.e. “penguin, math, kite, rock”). Other symptoms that would help diagnose are disorganized/catatonic behavior and/or negative symptoms (decreased expression of emotion, Flat Affect, Alogia, Avolition). They would also have had to go through the three phases of Schizophrenia in at least six months. The three phases include: Prodromal (withdrawn, spending lots of time alone), Active (severe symptoms including but not limited to, delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized/catatonic behavior), Residual (not able to concentrate, cognitive symptoms, depressive). These three phases usually

occur in order and to be diagnosed the Active phase would have to last at least one month. Also, symptoms couldn’t be a result of another condition such as substance abuse. If I (not aware that they have schizophrenia) were to have a hypothetical friend (24 years old) who has schizophrenia: Jeremiah was isolating and canceling on my plans a lot and he started to not attend classes for a few months out of nowhere. After a few months, I finally get him to hang out with me and they tell me “there are people in satellites in space that are controlling me. The newscaster is also just talking to me, he is trying to get me to complete the mission, don’t you see?” I can’t shake how off-putting their behavior was, they were being so paranoid. I was too scared to hang out with him again, but he reached out to me after two months. He was having so much trouble understanding what I was saying over the phone and he was spacey. I hope this isn’t a common occurrence. I think there’s something wrong. 2) How is this person’s disorder portrayed in the film? How accurate is the portrayal? Are there specific parts that were just “too Hollywood” for your tastes? Did the filmmakers do an especially good job on anything in particular? John Nash’s schizophrenia is portrayed in (what I thought) was a pretty interesting way in this film. You basically follow Nash, in his world, as he deals with being at Princeton and then creates a theory that completely changes economic theory. He doesn’t really fit in with his colleagues, doesn’t attend classes and constantly sits at his desk trying to think of an amazing thesis. His friend group is incredibly small and the only notable character in the beginning is his roommate Charles who is an English major that provides companionship to Nash. We are then brought through all this action where the Department of Defense has recruited him as a code breaker for the Cold War. He is constantly paranoid especially when Nash creates a family with Alice. It’s not till most of the way through the movie that we find out all the secret missions and people coming after him, even his awesome roommate, Charles, were all a hallucination. I was completely unaware this was the plot line. I believed everything that was happening to him was real and I thought that was an amazing way of portraying the syndrome because Nash believed those hallucinations as much as I did tell I found out the truth. In a sense, I was able to understand his perspective and the challenges he faces with have this syndrome. Once I found out Nash had schizophrenia, I was able to recognize that his arrival to Princeton was a part of phase one (prodromal). He was skipping class, had a tiny friend group, staying isolated in his room. He quickly shifts to phase two which starts off slowly with the hallucination of his roommate, Charles Herman. Then when he gets to MIT, his hallucinations only get stronger and is hearing and seeing things others can’t, such as officials from the Department of Defense, gun fights, breaking code and car chases. He also has strong delusions that people are out to get him, and it all continues to occur,

ending with doctors (which Nash believes are spies coming for him) ambushing him at a lecture. I felt like the film realistically portrayed how hard it is to manage schizophrenia and the difficulties patients face when trying to find which antipsychotics and treatments work to alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia. The film also took it a step further and showed the adverse side effects that occur with the antipsychotics as Nash is unable to continue his work to the point of frustration that he stops taking his meds completely. This film did a really good job in not romanticizing this syndrome which I find is a common issue with film portrayal of mental illnesses. I also very much appreciate how many years it takes for Nash to take this journey. It took years to get this diagnosis and time struggling with the medication regimen and even more time to figure out how to manage his symptoms. Then, working on trying newer medications and having support from people to help him through this process like Alicia and the emotional toll it took on them. Another realistic idea that was portrayed well was the stigma that comes with having schizophrenia. So, when Thomas comes to see if he is worthy of the Nobel Prize, Nash explains how he manages his symptoms and how he still experiences visual and auditory hallucinations. There is no cure for schizophrenia and the film being able to show that Nash battles this syndrome daily is incredible. Even though the film didn’t always accurately portray what was happening to the real Nash, it was accurate in portraying the struggles, facts and symptoms an individual presenting with schizophrenia would face. 3) Does the film come to some resolution of the disorder? [Does the character with the disorder seem more functional by the end of the film? Do they have support and what difference does that make?] The film does come to some resolution of the disorder. I touched a little on this in question two. The film portrays a complex bittersweet resolution showing how Nash, after being brought to the psychiatric hospital is in complete denial of his condition and continues to wholeheartedly believe in his delusions. He goes on to accept the fact he has paranoid schizophrenia with the help of his wife, Alicia, and his realization when she threatened to leave, he realizes that the little girl (Charles’ niece) he hallucinates has never aged after years of continuously seeing her. This is the tipping point where he can start to grow. This takes years showing how challenging the road to “remission” is. He continues to struggle in his relationships and deciphering which treatments and medications work for him. He’s forced to accept he may never be able to handle his vivid delusions and hallucinations, especially after seeing how often his delusions affect his perception of reality but decides to continue to try with support from his colleagues and Alicia. The film uses research we know about how with aging and an amazing support network, schizophrenics can have a higher chance of going into remission. Nash over the years has both those things and as they figure out his medications, his symptoms don’t disappear, but he is able to learn to manage them and decipher between reality and imagination. He is almost able to thrive.

Then, there’s the ending scene. After years of working in the management of his syndrome, he shows how he’s learned to thrive. He never gave up what he loved, math, but he also didn’t take the plan him and others expected. There’s a lot to unpack in two of the most memorable scenes near the end. One being, when someone from the Nobel Prize committee goes to visit Nash and two when Nash wins the Nobel Prize for his economic theory. In the first scene, he can talk about his growth and shows the committee and the audience that he is not cured but he has learned and accepted his diagnosis and has been able to thrive because of it. In the second scene, he accepts his Nobel Prize for his economic theory and conveys to everyone that without the support he had from Alicia and his colleagues he wouldn’t be able to grow as much as he did and continue to do the things he loves. He is more functional. He is a professor who achieved his dreams and never gave up. He is self-aware and that is an incredible accomplishment. 4) Finally, state your opinion as to how successfully the film presented and addressed the psychological issues. I honestly believe this is the best portrayal in film of a mental illness I’ve seen yet. The inaccuracies between the real John Nash and the film version were about how mostly his hallucinations are auditory, not visual. But even with that in mind, the film’s portrayal doesn’t exaggerate the experiences of an individual with schizophrenia could have. It portrayed how he’d travel through the three phases and pulled in the audience allowing us to believe his distorted perception of reality. I loved the way the film brought us along his journey to remission from believing wholeheartedly that everything he was experiencing was true to acceptance of his diagnosis, to finding support and working to manage his schizophrenia, to thriving. Often schizophrenia is portrayed as this insurmountable diagnosis with little chance of returning to a new normal. So, for the film to be able to continue to show Nash working towards his dreams despite his illness, even though achieving those dreams took longer than expected. That was amazing. It even shows Nash helping to breakdown down that common portrayal and stigma that surrounds schizophrenia! They stayed true to the facts about the illness even if they didn’t always portray the exact symptoms of the real John Nash. I was wondering why this movie was titled “A Beautiful Mind” but I feel like it is the perfect title now. There is beauty in all the obstacles and support and love Nash had on his journey battling schizophrenia. I’m usually very critical about the inaccuracies in movies, but this film I would give the highest of remarks and recommendations. Thank you for the film recommendation! NOTE*** I have already seen each of these films, many times. Do NOT include a summary or synopsis of the film. Thank you. There is no required format, just be sure to answer each of the 4 points. Even if you have seen your chosen film before, I suggest watching it again after you have checked out what your text has to say about the disorder. I am most interested to hear whether you feel the disorder is accurately portrayed. Remember, most people do not take Psychology

courses in college. This leaves popular film as, all too often, their only education about psychological disorders....