Beautiful Mind Assignment

1. What insights has this film given you into the symptoms and treatment of schizophrenia,
the stigma associated with it, and the challenges of caring for a schizophrenic?
a. Schizophrenia is a disorder in which the affected individual experiences
delusions and hallucinations, making it hard for the to realize illusion from truth.
Some other symptoms include incoherence, disturbances of affect, deterioration
in normal movement, decline in previous levels of functioning, and diverted
attention. The film explores schizophrenia as a condition that the individual may
not be aware of at first but becomes a problem in the future. Treatment
mentioned in the film included medication and insulin shock therapy. Another
element of treatment highlighted in the film includes love and understanding from
those who are close and trustworthy of the individual affected, who will be there
to help them get better. Stigma surrounding schizophrenia suggest that affected
individuals are violent, easy to enrage, or have split personalities, all of which are
not true. It is a complex condition that can be treated and prevented with proper
care and attention. Those watching over schizophrenic individuals may naturally
feel frustrated or helpless but their support can greatly assist with recovery.
Caretakers must learn and understand the illness in order to give appropriate
help.
2. What makes mental health a concern for all, not just individual patients?
a. Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is
definitely important for all of us to consider because it greatly affects how we
perceive the world and how we behave, or try to be in control of our own being. It
affects how we think, feel, and act, so it is a crucial part of living. If we do not pay
attention to our mental health, we leave it open and vulnerable to deterioration
and harm.
3. As portrayed in the movie, there don’t seem to be any optimal treatments available to
Nash. Sometimes, it seems, like no treatment is better than the treatments on offer.
Discuss.
a. Treatment is the individual’s choice and the patient must have fully consented to
the options provided. In the film, Nash was subject to insulin shots and shocks for
a long period of time, making him lose his intellectual abilities to an extent as well
as his personality. This is why Nash tried to pretend to take pills, do everything in
his power to avoid treatment and hospitalization, and his doctor. He was afraid of
losing all that he had left in his life. He may not realize that temporary pain and
obstacles are necessary for the long term sustainable state in the future.
4. Should the state have the right to force schizophrenics into mental institutions in order to
give them treatment?
a. I do believe that schizophrenics should have a choice as to how they wish to live
their lives and feel responsible for themselves. However, if research shows that
mental institutions and mandatory rehab programs offered by the government
can help treat mental illnesses better than if left alone, then I would totally side
with the state’s decision. It would be a violation of a person’s basic civil rights and
may actually deter people from seeking treatment on their own, but allowing
practitioners of mental health to judge whether someone should go into
hospitalization shows to be more effective than letting those with serious mental
illnesses refuse treatment and possibly end up homeless, incarcerated, or being
a burden on the rest of the state’s citizens. It is a matter of making decisions that
would grant long term benefits, rather than instant relief, at that point.
Schizophrenics should still try to seek treatment on their own time if is not a
medical mandate. New psychiatric medications and methods have proven that it
is possible for people to get well without becoming chained to their illness for life.
I do not agree with forcing them into mental institutions but it may just have to be
the choice for the better of the future. Perhaps a compromise could be made and
one could try to seek help from a more personal one-on-one psychiatrist rather
than be given to a hospital.