Black Swan is a movie depicting the life of Nina ¬Sayers, a ballet dancer living in New York who is chosen to perform the lead role as Swan Queen of her company’s next production of Swan Lake. Nina is a perfectionist who lives her life for dance. She practices constantly and is under continual stress from her mother, her instructor, and her fellow dancers. Nina’s social skills and shy demeanor cause her to be isolated from others, and may have arisen from the relationship she has with her mother. Overall, Nina is a young adult trying to be a great ballerina while battling a developing disability. Key aspects of Nina’s character signify that the major disability depicted in Black Swan is schizophrenia, although it is not explicitly mentioned. The development of this disability is portrayed through the eyes of Nina, the woman experiencing the hallucinations, which gives viewers an inside look into the confusion that can arise from being a person with schizophrenia. However, the film dramatizes and misrepresents some aspects of the disease.
In the movie, schizophrenia is represented in a way that shows the confusion, frustration, and disruption of a person experiencing such symptoms. Negative symptoms that coincide with schizophrenia include being apathetic, having a lack of pleasure, and having a flat affect, which can be overlooked by others in society (Mueser, 2004). People may assume that these individuals are not very engaging or socially inept, and these symptoms can appear years before psychotic episodes begin to appear in individuals (Mueser, 2004). Following true to these characteristics, Nina is presented as socially impaired, which could be a reason that she still lives with her mother and needs her help to func...
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...2004). Three major factors that can influence schizophrenia include stress, coping skills, and social support (Mueser, 2004). Stress can cause an increase in schizophrenia symptoms as well as relapses, although coping skills such as social skills can reduce the effects of stress (Mueser, 2004). Social support can also help lower stress and increase coping skills in these individuals (Mueser, 2004). In Nina’s case, her career is a continual stressor especially when she is chosen to be the Swan Queen. Her body is going through more strain with more demanding practices and her bulimic tendencies are not beneficial for her health. Nina does not have good support from her mother or others around her, making it challenging for her to lower her stress and develop good coping skills; Nina does not have social skills to be able to combat her progressing schizophrenia.
Before reading the poem “Schizophrenia” this writer assumed that it would focus on one individual diagnosis with schizophrenia, but it also focused on a house. In the poem “Schizophrenia” by Jim Stevens, the poet describes a relationship between a husband and his wife. Stevens shows how the characters differences and aggression has changed the atmosphere of the house. The poet explained that not only is the couple affected by their hostile environment, it is the house that is suffering the most from the couple’s behaviors. Stevens has the house as a representation of how a brain of a person with schizophrenia person. Through the use of the characters actions and the house, Stevens exemplifies how schizophrenia can ruin a person’s life. After
Schizophrenia is the most severe of all the psychotic disorders. Sak’s states “…it’s not ‘split personality,’ although the two are often confused by the public; the schizophrenic mind is not split, but shattered. (Saks, p. 328)” In my creative portion, there are images, in which the artist intended to portray the feeling of having schizophrenia, Like Saks, they want the world to understand the truth about their disorder.
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is classified under the section of “Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders”. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious major chronic brain disorders in the field of mental health; it is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of the human brain. People living with this incapacitating illness can experience multiple symptoms that will cause extreme strain in their own and their families and friends life. The individual can lose reality, unable to work, have delusions and hallucinations, may have disorganized speech and thought processes, will withdraw from people and activities, they may become suspicious and paranoid, may behave inappropriately in every day social situations. They may neglect personal hygiene and dress improperly, use excessive make-up; every day life is becoming chaotic for everyone involved.
To me, Schizophrenia is by far the most frightening disorders in the DSM. Snyder’s account of how he truly believed his delusions, specifically those surrounding the debilitating fear for his life, are hard to image. This presents a challenge for me as a counselor in empathizing with clients who are experiencing this. In reflecting on this dilemma, I came to realize that while I may not be able to understand the fear of my life being in danger, I can relate to the emotion of fear; this can be the connecting point for me to the client. Expressing sympathy is also another tool I have when I am unable to empathize with a client’s thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, Snyder’s narrative reinforced my notion of how insidious Schizophrenia can be. That is to say, that while in many cases this disorder may live traces of itself in childhood and adolescents, in some cases it occurs unexpectedly. Snyder details his normal childhood, including supportive parents, with little to no evidence of any sort of trauma or odd behavior; and yet he was still blindsided with the disease. I began to reflect particularly on how difficult this would be for clients experiencing these same circumstances. It will be essential for me as a counselor to recognize that
... middle of paper ... ... It is quite possible within the realm of psychological theory that the stress of childbirth, coupled with post-partum depression and the mental strain of having to repress her emotions, triggered the schizophrenia.
Families with a member suffering from any illness may be stressful enough but families with members diagnosed with schizophrenia are often faced with additional challenges such as the “external stressors of social stigma, isolation, and emotional frustration”. Many times, family conflicts arise as members attempt to provide care on an everyday basis (Chien, 2010, pg. xi). “A Beautiful Mind” is a brilliant motion picture directed by Ron Howard that chronicles the life of one John Nash, a prominent mathematician and the challenges he endures throughout his adult life afflicted with a chronic mental illness. “A Beautiful Mind” allows us to gain insight into the stressors that many families undergo when faced with living with a person with schizophrenia. This paper will explore the impact of schizophrenia on the lives of the Nash family as depicted in the aforementioned movie. Exploring the impact of the disease on the Nash family’s life will be followed with a discussion regarding an assessment conducted of the family, through the use of the Calgary Family Assessment model. Conducting the assessment allowed us to determine two nursing priorities, and nursing interventions in relation to them through the use of the Calgary intervention model. Essentially it becomes evident that the challenges faced by the Nash family are in the functional domain. The families inability to effectively communicate and problem solve becomes evident, which is negatively impacting the families ability to function effectively. Our nursing interventions guided by the Calgary Nursing Intervention Model will focus on providing the Nash family with the support needed to bring about change in the affective domain in foster effective communication with the famil...
People with a psychosis have difficulty dealing with day to day. Living in poverty or an abusive environment places serious strain on an individual’s mental health (Association, 2001). There is thought to be three causes to mental illness (Association, 2001). The first is genetic and some researchers suggest the mental illness is inherited (Association, 2001). Psychological is the second and this is when the individual expresses low self esteem which can lead to depression. The third is socio-cultural, or stressor of life. This is when the family structure or ways of communication could induce abnormal behaviour (Association, 2001).
Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality and disturbances of thought, mood, and perception. Schizophrenia is the most common and the most potentially sever and disabling of the psychosis, a term encompassing several severe mental disorders that result in the loss of contact with reality along with major personality derangements. Schizophrenia patients experience delusions, hallucinations and often lose thought process. Schizophrenia affects an estimated one percent of the population in every country of the world. Victims share a range of symptoms that can be devastating to themselves as well as to families and friends. They may have trouble dealing with the most minor everyday stresses and insignificant changes in their surroundings. They may avoid social contact, ignore personal hygiene and behave oddly (Kass, 194). Many people outside the mental health profession believe that schizophrenia refers to a “split personality”. The word “schizophrenia” comes from the Greek schizo, meaning split and phrenia refers to the diaphragm once thought to be the location of a person’s mind and soul. When the word “schizophrenia” was established by European psychiatrists, they meant to describe a shattering, or breakdown, of basic psychological functions. Eugene Bleuler is one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. He is best known today for his introduction of the term “schizophrenia” to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox and for his studies of schizophrenics. The illness can best be described as a collection of particular symptoms that usually fall into four basic categories: formal thought disorder, perception disorder, feeling/emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders (Young, 23). People with schizophrenia describe strange of unrealistic thoughts. Their speech is sometimes hard to follow because of disordered thinking. Phrases seem disconnected, and ideas move from topic to topic with no logical pattern in what is being said. In some cases, individuals with schizophrenia say that they have no idea at all or that their heads seem “empty”. Many schizophrenic patients think they possess extraordinary powers such as x-ray vision or super strength. They may believe that their thoughts are being controlled by others or that everyone knows what they are thinking. These beliefs ar...
The environment surrounding an individual also can trigger the onset of schizophrenia. It has been observed that family stress, trauma, and poor social interactions all have the tendency to promote schizophrenic behavior, though it does not necessarily cause it. Going along with this, it is also possible that prenatal conditions affect the development of schizophrenia...
Hallucinations and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder were the two main these presented in the film, and were both displayed similarily to what I had learned in the educational instruments I used. The symptoms and characterists of both shined through the character, and made me feel as if I were living her reality with her. The directors of this film made the reality of these physhological disorders come to life for the viewers. This film would be a great piece for educational purposes, which gives the public a better understanding and virtual reality for those who are unfarmiliar with these disorders or who would like to better educate themselves on the topics. This film was a bit more serious, therefore the subject matter was not treated in a humorous way whatsoever. The characters played serious roles, where dedication and perseverance were their main focus. Several scenes in the film gave viewers raw emotion and behind the scenes reality of the life Nina lives, day to day, with her psychological issues. Towards the end of the film Nina begins to experience more hallucinations. She believes everyone is out to get her, including her own mother. There are scenes where she visions the black swan through the mirror, as well as viewing herself as this even person in her dressing room. These hallucinations drive Nina farther away from her reality, and begin to take a toll on her mental
In Martin Scorsese’s 2010 film Shutter Island, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds himself investigating a missing person case in an insane asylum found on a secluded, mysterious island. As Daniels’s search for the missing patient persists, this case and the doctors of the asylum become progressively more suspicious. In fact, Daniels’s new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) appears wary about their reasoning for being at the asylum as if the patient’s disappearance was merely an excuse to allure the two onto the island. A couple of days later the missing patient is found without the Marshals’ help. When Daniels is ready to leave the island he asks the head doctor where his partner is and the doctor states that Daniels came alone to the island. Baffled by this statement, Daniels is
The main character in the film Black Swan, twenty-eight year old female Nina Sayers, displays signs of numerous disorders through her abnormal behavior. Nina’s life is consumed by her occupation: professional ballerina/dancer. Nina resides with her mother and rarely socializes with others. She has difficulty concentrating, is restless, irritable, suffers from muscle tension, and sleep disturbances from nightmares. Nina also feels very uncomfortable in social and intimate situations. She appears to be unable to successfully interact with those around her. The interaction that Nina has with her fellow dancers appears to be strained and superficial. Nina exhibits behavior that indicates she views all other dancers as competition instead of potential comrades’ or friends. Being very introverted and unable to share any part of herself with those around her, even her mother, who appears to be the only person that has been remotely close to Nina, causes her to seek companionship with parts of herself instead of healthy relationships with others. Nina exhibits signs of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and paranoid personality disorder through these abnormal behaviors.
The movie accurately portrays the nature of schizophrenia using John Nash as a perfect example, who exhibits many of the key symptoms of the disease. An inability to communicate is one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia, one which takes its toll on interpersonal relationships and intimacy. The movie does an excellent job showing the problems that Alicia had as she tries to help her husband seek treatment and recover from the disease. A Beautiful Mind directly shows a medical definition of schizophrenia. Nash exhibits many of the key symptoms of the disease: hallucinations (he has a roommates but he lives in a single dorm room), delusions (thinks he works for the government), ideas of reference, poor social skills (mumbles, doesn’t talk much to strangers), awkward gestures and facial expressions, and jumbled speech. I do, however, feel it is impossible for a film to convey the exact experience of a schizophrenic or to cover all the elements of the illness.
The organism is the individual which interacts with the environment; the phenomenal field is the entirety of the individual’s experiences and includes events or situations which occur outside of the individual as well as inner experiences and meanings which are assigned to them by the individual (W. Meyer et al, 2003). The self-concept is central to humanistic theories, and includes the individual’s perception of themselves, their abilities, and their behaviour (Santrock, 2005). In Black Swan, Nina would be the organism or the individual; her subjective, personal experience would be the phenomenal field; and the picture she maintains of herself, the way she sees her characteristics, how she judges herself based on her appearance, talents and relationships, would all constitute her self-concept (W. Meyer et al,
Nina fits the mold of many different mental disorders. I, however, personally think that Nina portrays the symptoms of a person with schizophrenia. In the DSM-5, it states that schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction. It is required that a person have at least two of these symptoms. It is clear throughout the movie that Nina has hallucinations that ...