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NASH 1

John Nash: A Beautiful Mind Student Name Walden University September 29, 2019 PSYC 3004: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

John Nash: A Beautiful Mind

NASH 2 A Beautiful Mind is a movie based on the life of the famous, schizophrenic mathematician, John Forbes Nash Jr. The movie creates a timeline of John Nash’s life beginning with his entrance in Princeton University’s Ph. D. program in mathematics where the early symptoms of schizophrenia begin to appear and continues through his entire life dealing with schizophrenia and ending with his winning of the Nobel Prize. As the timeline progresses, so do the symptoms of schizophrenia. By analyzing key scenes from the movie, we can get a glimpse into the lifelong struggles that someone with schizophrenia may experience. In the movie, Nash’s positive symptoms of his schizophrenia present at the age of 19, slightly earlier than the average of onset at 23. (Comer, 2016, p. 367) John begins to hallucinate a roommate, Charles, which may be caused by the stressful transition to school and new social environment. As time goes on, John develops delusions of grandeur that he is working as a secret agent for the Dept. of Defense and that the government is using his mathematical gifts to decipher secret code. John displays disorganized thinking and speech early in the movie in the bar scene. He and his friends are trying to decide who gets what girl and John begins to ramble on about a scientific theory and then storms out of the bar. This behavior is congruent with loose associations, or derailments. (Comer, 2016, p.388) John also whispers to himself when is trying to decipher hidden codes. As John’s condition worsens, he begins to show negative symptoms of schizophrenia. John’s speech begins to slow, known as poverty of speech. He also displays blunted affect, or lack of emotion, even after almost drowning his child accidentally! After his hospitalization, John returns home and stops his social interactions with friends and colleagues. This social withdrawal is another negative symptom of schizophrenia. (Comer, 2016, p.391) Psychodynamic and cognitive theorists alike try to explain the causes of schizophrenia. The psychodynamic approach views schizophrenia as the result of the disintegration of the ego and suggests that childhood experiences result in inner turmoil in the client causing a conflict between the id, ego and superego. If unresolved, there is a regression to an egoless phase that results in a break with reality. (Rupani & DeSousa, 2017, pp. 6)

NASH 3 From a cognitive perspective, the schizophrenic may have difficulties processing various types of information including visual and auditory information. Research indicates their attention skills may be deficient and they often appear easily distracted. Furthermore, several researchers have suggested that difficulties in understanding other people’s behavior might explain some of the experiences of those diagnosed as schizophrenic. Social behavior depends on using other people’s actions as clues for understanding what they might be thinking. Some people who have been diagnosed as schizophrenic appear to have difficulties with this skill. (Johnson, 2017, pp. 65) While there is no mention of John Nash’s family history, it is possible that Nash’s break from reality was based on psychodynamic factors. If Nash grew up in an unnuturing environment, his schizophrenia may have been activated, as Fromm-Reichman suggests. (Comer, 2016, p. 398). If this is coupled with the stress of moving into and attending Princeton, a break with reality could easily have occurred. Furthermore, with the auditory and visual stimulation that a new environment causes biologically, as Comer states, the schizophrenic tries to understand these sensations, becomes confused and more symptoms emerge. (Comer, 2016, p. 398) In addition to anti-psychotic medication, I would recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of schizophrenia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy includes:

1. Emphasis on the normal and general process of dealing with adversity (psychosis is an example of adversity) 2. Use of overlearning, simulation, and role playing

3. Addition of coping strategies together to progress toward in-vivo implementation 4. Provision of a new response set to ongoing problems

5. Coping skills that often begin with external verbalization, which then diminishes as the procedure becomes internalized

6. Behavioral coping skills that are learned through graded practice or rehearsal. (Morrison, 2009)

In the film, Nash was seen taking medicine, presumably anti-psychotics since anti-psychotics reduce psychotic symptoms by blocking excessive activity of dopamine. Nash may have been undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy as well. Towards the end of the movie, Nash is rationalizing with himself that

NASH 4 Marcy cannot be real because she never grows up and keep repeating that his hallucinations are not real. As Comer explains, cognitive-behavioral therapy provides education and evidence that the hallucinations are not real and encourages the client to understand and deal with the delusions and hallucinations. (2016, p. 409) With proper treatment, schizophrenia can be managed like Nash did. Those who participate in cognitive-behavioral therapy are 50 percent less likely to be re-hospitalized than those without therapy. (Comer, 2016, p. 410) There is also much success with the use of anti-psychotic medication. With continued drug treatment, only about 40 percent of recovered patients will suffer relapses. (Facts,n.d.)

REFERENCES Beck, A., & Rector, N. (n.d.). Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia: A New Therapy for the New Millennium . Retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://psychotherapy.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2000.54.3.291 Comer, R. J. (2016). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth

NASH 5 Johnson, B. (2017, January 1). A-level Revision Notes AQA(A). Retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/a-level-Schizophrenia.html. Malmberg, L., Fenton, M., & Rathbone, J. (2014, September 23). Individual psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis for schizophrenia and severe mental illness. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171459/. Morrison A. K. (2009). Cognitive behavior therapy for people with schizophrenia. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)), 6(12), 32–39. Rupani, K. & DeSousa, A. (2017, March 4). Psychodynamic theories of Schizophrenia – revisited. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325739913_Psychodynamic_Theories_Of_Schizophrenia__Revisited...