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A Beautiful Mind By John Nash Essay

Decent Essays

In the film, “A Beautiful Mind”, the main character is John Nash. Nash represents the life of a person struggling with schizophrenia. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), in order for an individual to meet the criteria for schizophrenia, one must include two or more of the following symptoms for at least 1 month and at least one symptom must be one of the first three: Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganized Speech, Disorganized (or Catatonic Behavior), and Negative symptoms. Functioning in work, relationships, or self-care has declined since onset. In addition, continuous signs of the disturbance must persist for at least 6 months, or if during a prodromal or residual phase, negative symptoms or two or more symptoms in less severe form. John Nash perfectly portrays an example of individual who experiences positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Everything seemed to be pretty normal when he arrived at Princeton University – He immediately became friends with his roommate, Charles Hernan. Halfway through the movie, however, I became aware that most events that occurred were only hallucinations and delusions. Someone who experiences hallucinations may hear voices in their head that seem real and that may lead the individual to act out in response to these voices. Examples of Nash’s hallucinations include the friendship he had with Charles, Marcee (the niece of Charles), and William Parcher (Department of

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