Posted by syringachalet on January 19, 2003, at 15:28:13
In reply to Re: 'A Beautiful Mind' anyone? » wendy b., posted by M. Lee on January 19, 2003, at 12:58:19
M. Lee,
I feel you were wise to be uncomfortable that the movie attempted to betray JN as "willed himself well".
I have never seen in 20 years of working as a mental health RN with many "JNs"( not genieous, just schizo) that he could not have ever just'willed himself well".
He could with medications and counseling, "help make himself better' but the disease would never be totally 'cured'.
As most of us know, mental illness isnt just something you wake up one day and you crazy.
It is a culmination from years of stress and experiences that teach us how to react in certain istuations. After the mind/body has been through these stress long enough, the mind starts to 'mentally checkout' and often depression ensues.
Some poor souls think that drowning their troubles in booze or drugs( Rx or street) will make it better. I had a psych prof tells me once that alcohol will never wash away your troubles...it will only irrigate them at little."Its after this stress continues, that we see the depression growing and invading our lives.
Because of social stigma or denial, we think if we ignore it, it will go away.
(My dentists says that too..ignore your teeth
and they will go away...)
In conclusion, JN regardless of his IQ or his analytical ability, could not have lived the kind of life that was even remotely portraited without some kind of medication. And the movie doesnt show(and I am sure he had them) some of the small set-backs/flareups) that comes from anyone suffering from mental illness.Someone once said that genious and crazy are only an inch apart in the brain...
Pretty scary stuff, huh??
syringachalet
poster:syringachalet
thread:34562
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030111/msgs/35515.html