John Nash Schizophrenia

In the film, Nash was able to recover from schizophrenia with the support of his wife Alicia and through his own determination. With time, Nash was able to recognize his hallucinations for what they truly were, i.e., not real. However, the problem with this depiction is that mental illness and more specifically, schizophrenia, is not a “problem of the will.” One cannot undecided to have schizophrenia or overcome schizophrenia simply by wanting to get better and choosing to ignore their hallucinations as Nash does in the film. The movie sends the wrong message that a person with schizophrenia can recover without any kind of medication or treatment –which can be a dangerous message. While I argue that most people do not recover, that does not …show more content…
When Nash’s delusion and hallucinations become worse, the movie convinces the audience that Nash has a low quality of life (QOL). Quality of life here means, an “individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectation, standards, and concerns” (Bobes, 2007, 215). By this definition, within the movie, Nash did have a low quality of life. Even when Nash was studying at Princeton he was consumed by the thought of creating an original idea in order to distinguish himself and to matter. Although he came up with his original idea, Nash’s work halted and his relationship with his wife started to fall apart when his symptoms worsened. The audience is further convinced that antipsychotics had a negative effect on his quality of life. It is not until Nash overcomes his illness with the strength of his own determination and the love of his wife at the end of the movie that Nash is viewed to a higher quality of life. The problem with this assumption, i.e., that having a mental illness negatively impacts an individual’s quality of life is, not every individual who has a mental illness has a low (or poor) quality of life. Just as individuals without a mental illness have high and low points in their life, so too do individuals with a mental …show more content…
One of those perspectives is through the lens of neuroethics. Not only does the film portray neurodiversity, it also challenges the audience to think about schizophrenia in the context of consciousness and “the self”. Though schizophrenia has long been characterized as a thought disorder (TD), recent literature is arguing to characterize schizophrenia as a disorder of consciousness. Consciousness requires two components, wakefulness and awareness of the self and the external world. The importance of consciousness and self is that individuals who have schizophrenia have “a disrupted sense of self” and other changes in consciousness. Nash’s sense of self and alterations of his consciousness were depicted throughout the film. His delusion of being a government coder-breaker and his hallucinations of Charles, Marcee and big brother altered his awareness by blurring