Autism And Schizophrenia In The Soloist

Autism and schizophrenia are both types of mental illness, and in the book "the Soloist" it tells us the effects of this illness on Nathaniel and the struggles he has been through and how Mr. Steve Lopez helped him from living on the streets to studying, conducting, and performing in the largest musical halls. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that has patients hear loud noises, suffer from delusions, and sometimes hallucinations. "Most people, if you live in a big city, you see some form of schizophrenia every day, and it's always in the form of someone homeless. 'Look at that guy - he's crazy. He looks dangerous.' Well, he's on the streets because of mental illness. He probably had a job and a home". (Eric McCormack, web) So, I will break …show more content…
Since cultures were uninformed on the condition, some associated it with mythical aspects as well as witchcraft. Psychiatrists like Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger pointed out that autism resulted in the mental aloneness in their patients. This meant that the child locks out everything from the outside world, including the closest people to him. These observations explain why an autistic child could not speak, was not responsive to noise and other distracting elements. An autistic child who is gifted in art and music may possibly only be interested in either or both. If an autistic individual is interested in art, he will give all his attention to art only – same with music. Just like Stephen, who carefully observed structures around him. Later he would remember what he had seen and draw it almost …show more content…
In the most part of the world, autistic people are still seen as severely disabled or impaired. The world should change their views and give more attention to nurture their unique talents. Self-perseverance is the act of repeated effort to do something, even though the challenges that face one might be difficult. I personally think that stories like Stephen's best prove how important self-perseverance is to break one's barriers. People with autism might lack it, but nothing dictates that they could never have it. With a helping hand at the start to gain the confidence, self-esteem, and approval they might feel they need – they will surely break through any barrier. It was man's unkind ignorance that led to their mistreatment, hopefully in this day and age of information and technology, the updated human kind can