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A Beautiful Mind (Schizophrenia) Essay Example

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A Beautiful Mind (Schizophrenia) Essay Example
A Beautiful Mind (Schizophrenia)

In this essay I will discuss the mental disorder Schizophrenia and the ways in which John Forbes Nash the main character in the movie A Beautiful Mind dealt with it. I will also define the mental disorder; discuss the symptoms, the causes, the treatments, the relationship between violence and individuals who are diagnosed with Schizophrenia, the general public’s reaction towards people with Schizophrenia, and the ways in which people with Schizophrenia can help the general public and themselves in coping with this particular mental disorder and possibly other mental disorders. Firstly, according to Coconcea (2005) “Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental illness” ( 1). According to American Psychiatric Association (2005) “Schizophrenia is a disorder that lasts for at least 6 months and includes at least 1 month of active-phase symptoms of the following: delusion, hallucination, disorganized or catatonic behavior, negative symptoms” (pg 298). In addition, according to American Psychiatric Association (2005) “The symptoms for Schizophrenia include delusions, hallucination, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms” (pg 312). In the movie A Beautiful Mind, the main character John Forbes Nash exhibited all of the above symptoms. He often engaged in conversations with his imagined friend and roommate, Charles Herman. John Nash also stated that William Archer an imagined government agent assigned him to do work as a spy for the government and deliver the secret assignments at nights. However John Nash’s wife, Alicia Larde-Nash realized that her husband was hallucinating and helped him to realize that Charles Herman, William Archer, and Marcy were all fragments of his imagination. Furthermore, according to American Psychiatric Association (2005) “Social or occupational dysfunction is a criteria for Schizophrenia” (pg 312). John Nash illustrated

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