Type responses to questions in the response boxes

A Beautiful Mind
Overview

A Beautiful Mind is the story of John Nash, a real mathematical genius who began
having symptoms of schizophrenia upon entering graduate school at Princeton University
in 1948. Peers viewed Nash as odd, eccentric, and lacking in basic social skills. Nash
often skipped class, wrote mathematical formulas on windows, and spent many hours
pursuing an “original idea” befitting his intellectual abilities. Most interpersonal
interactions were with Charles (his roommate) and two or three other fellow students.

Once he began teaching, John met a young woman, fell in love, got married, and had a
child. The Cold War was at its peak. With his ability, John was able to decode messages
intercepted from the “enemy.” Soon after, a government secret agent hired him to look
for hidden messages in newspapers and magazines. His entire life became consumed with
this “mission".

Over time, it became apparent that John’s mission was a delusion. Furthermore, it
became clear that the secret agent and his college roommate Charles were hallucinations.
Initially, John was treated with insulin shock therapy; later, his treatment was with
medications.

It is important to note that the movie A Beautiful Mind skips many years (1960s--1980s)
of the life of the real John Nash, which were quite tumultuous. He and Alicia divorced,
although they eventually remarried. Nash had a relationship with another woman, which
produced a son, John David. His son with Alicia, John Charles, was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia.

After decades of fighting the symptoms of his disease, Nash received the Nobel Prize for
his mathematical discoveries.

For the purposes of this exercise, you are a nurse working with the Nash family as
depicted in the film during the time when his illness was at its worst.

Client name: John Nash

Psychiatric diagnosis: Schizophrenia

*For the criteria supporting this diagnosis, please refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, by the American Psychiatric Association,
and/or your Wolters Kluwer mental-health nursing textbook.

Date: Febuary 17,2021

Your name: DECELOS,CHARLENE S.

Type responses to questions in the response boxes

Name of the client you are assessing: John Nash

Name of the movie: A Beautiful Mind

What is the chief complaint? (In the client’s own words and report of others)

Response:
Psycho, paranoid, anxious

Based on the above information and a close viewing of the movie, what questions would
you raise during history taking? What are some possible answers? You might base your
questions on the:
 History of the client’s illness.
 Past psychiatric history, treatment, and treatment outcomes.
 Psychosocial history.

Response:
Past psychiatric history,treatment and treatment outcomes and history of clients illness.
There are possibilities that his illness is hereditary , lifestyle and etc.

What other observations do you have about the client’s behavior?

Response:
Anxious, anti-social, paranoid, has hallucination, disorganized when speaking,has
delusion, lack of personal hygiene, unable to concentrate,  illogical thinking

In your opinion, is the diagnosis discussed above accurate?

Response:
Yes because schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality
abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions,
and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can
be disabling.

What requirements does the client meet that support this diagnosis, based on the DSM-5?

Response:
According to DSM-5, a diagnosis of schizophrenia is made if a person has two or more
core symptoms,one of which must be hallucinations,delusions,or disorganized speech.
Also include level of works, interpersonal relations or self care is significantly below
what it was before the start.

What treatment plan would you outline?

Type responses to questions in the response boxes

Response:
Identify with client symptoms he experiences when he or she begins to feel anxious
around others.
Keep client in an environment as free of stimuli (loud noises, crowding) as possible.
Ensure that the goals set are realistic
Structure times each day to include planned times for brief interactions and activities with
the client on one-on-one basis
If client is found to be very paranoid, solitary or one-on-one activities that require
concentration are appropriate.
Teach client to remove himself briefly when feeling agitated and work on some anxiety
relief exercise (e.g., meditations,rhytmic exercise, deep breathing exercise).
Provide opportunities for the client to learn adaptive social skills in a non-threatening
environment. Initial social skills training could include basic social behaviors (e.g.,
appropriate distance, maintain good eye contact, calm manner/behavior, moderate voice
tone).
Eventually engage other clients and significant others in social interactions and activities
with the client (card games, ping pong, sing-a-songs, group sharing activities)

With what expected outcomes?

Response:
The patient will engage in one activity with a nurse by the end of the day.
Patient will demonstrate interest to start coping skills training when ready for learning.
Patient will improve social skills interactions.
Patient will seek out supportive social contacts.