John Nash: A Beautiful Mind
1754 Words
7 Pages
John Nash is a renowned mathematician most recognized for his theory of equilibrium and life struggle with schizophrenia. A Nobel Prize laureate and quite the living legend, John Nash completed his graduate studies in mathematics at Princeton University (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999). He later worked on the faculty at MIT before returning to Princeton as a Professor/researcher (“Big Ideas. Big Thinkers. John Nash,”2003). Though Hollywood is often responsible for depicting mental affliction and superior intellect as intrinsically congruous (common examples include Silence of the Lambs and Mr. Brooks), this is not the norm. John Nash is considered an anomaly when analyzing schizophrenia; most clients with schizophrenia “are of
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Of the five, at least two must be present to be diagnosed and John Nash definitely fulfills this requirement. “While the film A Beautiful Mind depicted John Nash as having visual hallucinations, most of his hallucinatory experiences were auditory” (Keefe, 2002). Nash “heard voices” that further encouraged his delusional beliefs; he would often be found on the Princeton Campus, “talking about himself in the third person as Johann Von Nassau” (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-)”, 1999). These delusions of grandeur are a very common facet of schizophrenia. Furthermore, with the onset of his schizophrenia, Nash lost the ability to eloquently, if at all, communicate his brilliance. As a child, Nash “enjoyed performing in front of other children”(Nasar, 1998). He wanted others to witness and understand the magnitude of his intelligence. However, as his schizophrenia worsened, people struggled to decipher the meaning behind his words. Nash “skipped from subject to subject” and “some of his lectures no longer made sense” (Nasar, 1994). When thinking about schizophrenic symptoms, Nash’s condition seemed to epitomize the illness. However, it is important to note that symptomatic criteria only account for one diagnostic …show more content…
Most patients who decide to stop taking their pills or abandon their treatment plan do not usually get better. However, it important to note that when Nash initially stopped his treatment plan, “he functioned relatively poorly for many years”( Leo & Torrey, 2002). In the 1980s, Nash started to improve and “became more engaged with the world around him” (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999). He even received the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994, at the very ripe age of 66 (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999)! Nash is now exploring mathematics at an office in Princeton and has remarried his wife (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999). It is unclear how he improved yet it is important to shy away from the idea of random miracle recoveries. Old age tends to bring on a remission of symptoms. “Dr. Nash has not received a ‘miracle cure’ but rather has had a partial remission of his symptoms related to his advancing age” (Leo & Torrey, 2002). Furthermore, John Nash has learned to almost actively reject his hallucinations. He is quoted in “A Straight Look at Schizophrenia,” as saying, “if one makes an effort to ërationalize ' one 's thinking then one can simply recognize and reject the irrational hypotheses of delusional thinking” (Keefe, 2002). It appears that his illness has left him to cope in a way that his genius mind can handle. He understands his
Of the five, at least two must be present to be diagnosed and John Nash definitely fulfills this requirement. “While the film A Beautiful Mind depicted John Nash as having visual hallucinations, most of his hallucinatory experiences were auditory” (Keefe, 2002). Nash “heard voices” that further encouraged his delusional beliefs; he would often be found on the Princeton Campus, “talking about himself in the third person as Johann Von Nassau” (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-)”, 1999). These delusions of grandeur are a very common facet of schizophrenia. Furthermore, with the onset of his schizophrenia, Nash lost the ability to eloquently, if at all, communicate his brilliance. As a child, Nash “enjoyed performing in front of other children”(Nasar, 1998). He wanted others to witness and understand the magnitude of his intelligence. However, as his schizophrenia worsened, people struggled to decipher the meaning behind his words. Nash “skipped from subject to subject” and “some of his lectures no longer made sense” (Nasar, 1994). When thinking about schizophrenic symptoms, Nash’s condition seemed to epitomize the illness. However, it is important to note that symptomatic criteria only account for one diagnostic …show more content…
Most patients who decide to stop taking their pills or abandon their treatment plan do not usually get better. However, it important to note that when Nash initially stopped his treatment plan, “he functioned relatively poorly for many years”( Leo & Torrey, 2002). In the 1980s, Nash started to improve and “became more engaged with the world around him” (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999). He even received the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994, at the very ripe age of 66 (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999)! Nash is now exploring mathematics at an office in Princeton and has remarried his wife (“People and Events: John Nash (1928-),” 1999). It is unclear how he improved yet it is important to shy away from the idea of random miracle recoveries. Old age tends to bring on a remission of symptoms. “Dr. Nash has not received a ‘miracle cure’ but rather has had a partial remission of his symptoms related to his advancing age” (Leo & Torrey, 2002). Furthermore, John Nash has learned to almost actively reject his hallucinations. He is quoted in “A Straight Look at Schizophrenia,” as saying, “if one makes an effort to ërationalize ' one 's thinking then one can simply recognize and reject the irrational hypotheses of delusional thinking” (Keefe, 2002). It appears that his illness has left him to cope in a way that his genius mind can handle. He understands his