What we learned from “A Beautiful Mind”

Based on the novel of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, the feature film An amazing mind, produced in 2001, was a true success that won 4 Oscars and countless followers. Starring Russell Crowe, The film offers us in a simple way a great message that invites us to find a way to overcome our limitations, whatever they may be.

For those who don’t know the story of John Nash…

John Nash was 30 years old when he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The healthy ambition of his privileged mind was burdened by a tremendous illness that devastated him.

He was a brilliant mind, a wonderful, outstanding and promising mind when it all happened. However, nothing stopped him from pursuing his dreams. After years of bloody treatments trying to help him overcome his mental illness, John Nash managed to keep his symptoms at bay.

His internal work was, obviously, enormous until the end of his days. Logically, living without being able to discern what is real and what is not is very complicated.; However, Nash’s brilliant mind achieved it. In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, this situation is reflected very well, his helplessness along with his ability to overcome.

Nash won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994 for his game theory., still valid and useful today in the field of strategy. John battled paranoid schizophrenia throughout his life. And, yes, he got it. He managed to lead a completely different life than the one his illness destined for them.

His death, like his life, has not been what was expected. On May 23, 2015, Nash died, along with his wife, victim of a traffic accident.

An example of improvement and hope that inspired A Beautiful Mind

We owe him a lotnot only for his contribution to science, but for telling us his story and returning “to the world of the sane” to teach us that, by working within ourselves, all minds are wonderful.

John clung to his intelligence and lived with the voices in his head even though they drowned him out. His fight was not easy. However, he managed to understand that his life path was in acceptance. And she showed it to us.

Then inspiration struck. She managed to create a stable world in a changing place. And, what was initially a combat, ended up being a home as it developed. Despite its limitations, Nash achieved a position as a professor at MIT while, at the same time, recovering the brilliance that his mental problem had truncated.
John Forbes Nash learned to live with schizophrenia throughout his life applying a rule according to which «Every problem has a solution». Something that, although it is not valid for all mentally ill people, we can all adapt to our lives in some way.

So, is schizophrenia curable or not?

Investigative journalist Robert Whitaker tells us that for a long time, in Western Lapland (Finland) They had the highest rates of schizophrenia among their population. To give you an idea, about 70,000 people live there, and in the 1970s and early 1980s, there were twenty-five or more new cases of schizophrenia each year, double or triple that of the rest of Finland and Europe.

But in 1969, Yrjö Alanen arrived at the psychiatric hospital in Turku (Finland). By then, There were few psychiatrists who believed in the possibility of psychotherapy as a treatment for psychoses.

So They began to work on listening to patients and their families by the professionals present there.

They created a new treatment modality that was called “Therapy Adapted to the needs of patients”. However, they did not forget that each person is different and they encouraged, in turn, the creation and adaptation of a specific treatment for each case.

Some patients would have to be hospitalized, but others would not. On the other hand, there would be patients who could benefit from low doses of psychiatric medications (anxiolytics or antipsychotics) and others who could not.

So, as we see, They personalized and worked meticulously on each case., becoming aware of the needs of each person and each family. Of course, decisions regarding treatment were joint, valuing each opinion to the appropriate extent.

Therapy sessions did not revolve around reducing psychotic symptomsbut rather focused on the patient’s previous successes and achievements, thus seeking to strengthen control over his life.

During the last years, Open Dialogue therapy has transformed “the picture of the psychotic population” in Western Lapland. Spending on psychiatric services in the region was greatly reduced and is now the sector with the lowest mental health spending in all of Finland.

What is clear is that things can be done differently. There is another type of treatment for people with schizophrenia or any other type of psychosis that guarantees a life different from what we are used to offering them.

We subject them to aggressive pharmacological therapies, electroshocks and compassion, a lot of compassion. Let’s not forget the pain, fear and rejection that the looks we direct toward them instill. If we add this, we can put our hand in the fire for failure. And we don’t burn.

Lessons that A Beautiful Mind leaves us

While you enjoy this beautiful film you will be able to learn that:

Good ideas can come from anywhere and arrive at the most unexpected moment. A bar versus a classroom? There is no need to settle for what you have achieved so far, you can always take one more step.Wars are a waste of resources. In this case it was a hallucination; But, we know of situations where intelligence was used for war purposes. Throughout history, brilliant minds were dedicated to espionage and did nothing for the advancement of humanity.Certainties may not be real. Dreams need to be nourished so that they do not die, however, you must be careful, lest you are stimulating your nightmares.The love is infinite. The life of Alicia, John’s wife, is not easy, she faces an arduous struggle between the real and the unreal. With her dedication, she will fight to open her husband’s eyes, although she will always try to listen to what is in her heart.With willpower it is possible to overcome adversity. That was the key to Nash’s success and it can be yours too. For decades he suffered terribly, however, in the end he achieved his goals and became an example to the world.

Finally, A Beautiful Mind perfectly combines drama and psychological suspense. Nash’s ability to overcome his personal hell and achieve personal and professional success was incredible. He was and continues to be an example that you can achieve anything you want badly enough, nothing can stop you or limit you.

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