When John Nash is first introduced in A Beautiful Mind, he appears to stare off into space, speaks in a monotone voice, and talks to very few people. To the average viewer, this may seem harmless, but to someone viewing the film with a psychological perspective, all of these could point to schizophrenia.
The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) defines schizophrenia as a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves” (“Schizophrenia”). In the film A Beautiful Mind, protagonist John Nash experiences this disorder and its effects firsthand.
The movie portrays Nash at several points throughout his life, from his days in college to a point late in his career. Nash’s symptoms of schizophrenia pose daunting challenges to him in his family and career, but audiences do not fully learn the extent of these challenges until about halfway through the film.
Ultimately, the film does a great job of portraying life through Nash’s perspective, which makes the revelation that Nash has schizophrenia all the more powerful.
The film begins with a college-aged Nash, who is working on a project that will help him advance in his career. He has a strong bond with his roommate Charles, but does not have any other close relationships.
After college, Nash begins working on mathematical research at MIT while also teaching a class there. It is there that he meets Alicia, a student in his class who would later become his wife and strongest supporter.
Around this time, he also begins working secretly with Parcher, who works with the Department of Defense and assigns him projects to crack Russian codes embedded in newspapers. Nash is told that he cannot discuss this top-secret work with anyone, so he keeps it a secret from his wife.
Eventually, it is revealed by Nash’s psychiatrist that Charles, Parcher, and the secret DoD assignments were not real and were only in Nash’s mind. From this point on, the film portrays Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia as they affect his professional and personal life.
As someone who has never seen another portrayal of schizophrenia in popular media, I felt that the movie gave a great overview of the disorder while focusing on Nash’s specific case. Many of the symptoms outlined in the text Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World, as well as in other sources, are seen in the film.
The text states that schizophrenia “touches every facet of the affected person’s life” (Nevid 404) and causes those with the disorder to “become increasingly disengaged from society” (Nevid 404). This is definitely the case with John Nash, as his symptoms are expressed across different parts of his life and become more severe as he grows older.
According to the text, schizophrenia “typically develops during late adolescence or early adulthood” (405). This timeline is appropriate when discussing Nash’s case. When we first meet Nash, he is enrolled in college and is developing a bond with his fictional roommate Charles. Though it is unclear whether Nash had shown symptoms prior to this, Charles’ existence is indicative of one major symptom of schizophrenia that would afflict Nash for the majority of his life.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines hallucination as “a person hearing voices, seeing things, or smelling things others can’t perceive” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In Nash’s case, Charles and other characters in the film are vivid, influential hallucinations that last for long periods of time.
While Charles was heavily present during Nash’s college days, Parcher became a prominent hallucination when Nash began working at MIT. Parcher, who claimed to work for the DoD, assigned Nash to work privately on breaking Russian secret codes hidden in American newspapers or magazines.
During his “work” with Parcher, Nash is involved in a car chase and shootout. He then expresses to Parcher that he does not want to continue with his work, and Parcher tells him he needs to keep working unless he wants the Russians to know his identity.
This makes sense, as the NAMI also expresses that “the voices in the hallucination can be critical or threatening” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In this case, Parcher is threatening Nash to continue his work or suffer the consequences of Russians coming after him.
Another symptom experienced by Nash, disorganized thinking, is defined by the NAMI as a “struggle to remember things, organize their thoughts or complete tasks” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). This is seen on a regular but minor basis when Nash is in college, as he repeatedly has trouble coming up with a topic for his school research project. However, the more prominent example of disorganized thinking that Nash experiences comes when he is giving a guest lecture at Princeton years after his graduation.
During the lecture, he has trouble making coherent statements and instead trails off mid-sentence. His hallucinations make this worse; when he sees a group of men standing in the back of the room, he feels like they are Russians and are coming after him. He runs out of the lecture hall and across the campus, until he is intercepted by the psychiatrist, who Nash also assumes to be a Russian spy.
After being brought to the treatment facility by the psychiatrist Dr. Rosen, Nash experiences another symptom of schizophrenia: delusions. The NAMI explains that delusions are “false beliefs that don’t change even when the person who holds them is presented with new ideas or facts” (“What is Schizophrenia?”).
Despite being presented with facts about his diagnosis by Dr. Rosen and Alicia, Nash was resistant and reluctant to accept this reality.
Even though he had been enrolled in treatment and been told by Alicia that his hallucinations were not real, Nash still believed that he was being held prisoner by the Russians. He also rationalized his belief in Parcher’s existence, despite Alicia telling him there is no record of anyone by that name working for the DoD, by saying that he would not be listed in any records because he is a secret operative.
Worst of all, he cut open his arm to find the tracking device he believed Parcher implanted in him; when it was not there, he reasoned that someone had removed it, instead of realizing it was never there in the first place.
Before his diagnosis, Nash appeared to have it all together; after all, he appeared to be working for the DoD and was described by Parcher as “the best code breaker [he has] ever seen.” However, after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, the troubles being faced by Nash became much clearer to him, Alicia, and viewers.
The text explains that people with schizophrenia often “fail to function in the expected roles of student, worker, or spouse, and their families and communities grow intolerant of their deviant behavior” (Nevid 404). Once again, this description applies to Nash’s case.
Alicia, who was Nash’s primary caretaker after his release from treatment, reported to a friend that she felt “obligation or guilt over wanting to leave [John]” as well as “rage against John [and] against god.” She was clearly overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for her husband.
These emotions reached a boiling point when Nash tried to give their son a bath. Alicia had stepped out for a moment, and when she returned, the baby was nearly drowning in the water. Nash was not supervising the baby because he believed that Charles was watching him. Alicia then tried to call Dr. Rosen. Nash, at the perceived insistence of Parcher, then pushed her to the ground and away from the phone in response. During this event, Nash’s hallucinations got in the way of his ability to behave appropriately with his son and wife.
When Nash returned to work, he also experienced difficulties typical of people with schizophrenia. Unfortunately, shortly after his return, he became panicked at the sight of Parcher and ran all over campus to get away from him.
Thankfully, he was still allowed to keep his job after this. After this, when he saw his hallucinations, he did his best to avoid them, and even told Charles and Marci that he should not be talking to them anymore. Nash’s symptoms got in the way of his work at first, but fortunately they became gradually less debilitating as his career progressed.
In the end, Nash was able to succeed in his life despite experiencing hallucinations for the majority of his life. He went on to have a long career as a professor at Princeton, and even won a Nobel Prize. His marriage also persevered through the struggles he and Alicia experienced. This film sends hope to people with schizophrenia that it is possible to overcome the challenges the disorder poses in order to achieve their goals.
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References
- Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2014). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Higher Education.
- Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
- What is Schizophrenia? (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/schizophrenia
