The film tells the story of John Forbes Nash, a man specialized in mathematics and

winner of the Nobel Prize and other renowned awards. John began exhibiting the
symptoms of schizophrenia in about 1946, although it was not until 1957 that he was
diagnosed.

According to ICD-10, the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia comprise a range of

cognitive, behavioral and emotional dysfunctions, although no single symptom is
pathognomonic of the disorder.

According to the DSM-V, schizophrenic disorders are characterized by fundamental and

typical distortions of perception, thought and emotions, the latter in the form of blunting
or inadequacy. In general, both clarity of consciousness and intellectual capacity are
preserved, although cognitive deficits occur with the passage of time.

Based on these two references, a breakdown of what was observed during the film about
the affected person is presented.

Triggering factors

Due to the nature of the film and the information it presents about John's family,
genetics and prenatal issues, we cannot delve into the biological triggers.

In the psychological factors we can observe:

 Adverse life events: the quest for an original and unique doctoral thesis drove
John to physical and mental extremes, and this quest marks the time of the
appearance of his first hallucination, his best friend Charles.
 Temperament: John's own temperament led him to be a lonely and socially
awkward person, which led to the hallucinations. This temperament also helped
him to become obsessed with his quest for the perfect thesis.
 Highly skilled jobs and high-stress professions: John's self-imposed level of
demand in his doctorate led to an enormous wear and tear, which led to the
appearance of the first symptoms of schizophrenia.

In the social factors we can observe:

 Culture: paranoid behavior and delusions of persecution were appreciated

within the culture of the time and, above all, the activity that John carried out for
a living. This may have caused the symptoms to worsen and took longer to
identify the disease.
 Stress: not only do we observe stress throughout his doctoral studies due to the
high demands he places on himself, we can also observe it in his post-doctoral
 employment due to the assistance he provides to the army as a consultant, an
activity that requires high secrecy and a certain paranoia.
 Environmental aggression: the competitive environment of Princeton together
with the social aggression that John suffered because of the way he was may
have helped the emergence of symptoms at the right time.
 Marital status: his married marital status and the dangerous nature of the
activities he was supposedly engaged in gradually worsened his symptoms.

Diagnostic nosology

John Forbes Nash presented the following symptoms for years:

 Delusions: mainly during his post-doctoral employment, where he presented

delusions of persecution. He believed he was a secret agent being hunted by the
communists to try to expose their plans to plant a nuclear bomb.
 Hallucinations: at least three main hallucinations can be seen in the film, these
are Charles, his best friend during his PhD; Marcee, Charles' supposed niece;
and William Parcher, a secret agent in charge of the program where John is
supposedly working to prevent the communists from planting the bomb.
 Disorganized speech: it is possible to observe the difficulty of socializing and
making himself understood from the beginning of the film, which is why he was
singled out by his peers.
 Highly disorganized or catatonic behavior: his behavior was also
disorganized and somewhat chaotic. This can be seen in his habit of writing
equations on the windows, in the way he pasted magazines and newspapers
around the rooms, and in his social interaction.
 Negative symptoms: with most people presented a lack of emotionality and the
inability to express emotions.

During the onset of the disorder you may see your personal relationships and
functioning at work actually improve. However, when the disorder worsens and
persecution delusions begin, it can be observed how both their interpersonal
relationships and their work worsen.

The disorder cannot be attributed to the effects of any substance.

John's symptoms are continuous, i.e., they were never in remission. For years he
presented hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, negative
symptoms and delusions. We cannot know the severity of these symptoms
quantitatively as the film does not present this information, but qualitatively the severity
of the symptoms can be observed.
Treatment

It can be seen that at the time of hospitalization, John is subjected to electroshock

treatment at least several times a week for several months. He is then subjected to drugs
of unknown nature, apparently for many years. At a certain point John manages to
control his illness and differentiate between the real and the unreal, although always
with the help of less strong or more modern medications.

We cannot observe whether John undergoes therapy, as the film does not show it.

YUCATAN AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY

DIAGNOSTIC NOSOLOGY OF JOHN FORBES NASH IN "A
BRILLIANT MIND".

PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY

STUDENT: RODRIGO ENRIQUE CAUCH SÁNCHEZ

TEACHER: ESTRELLA VASQUEZ

SUBJECT: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY