In the film ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ John Nash experiences schizophrenia. It is evident through his delusional experiences as he believes that he had a roommate at Princeton University. He also presumes that he is working for a U.S. security team to recover nuclear weapons from Russians. John experienced disorganized speeches and reduced participation in his daily students’ routine.
He suffered from an anxiety disorder at Princeton University, evidenced by his worry of getting a placement and spending too much time developing an original idea that he forgot to eat.
After his diagnosis, he was depressed and could not get out of their house to interact with other people. He spent time decoding numbers from magazines to achieve self-worth among his peers. John believed that he could independently solve his challenges; thus, he rejected treatment and stopped taking his medications. His marriage was falling apart as his wife Alicia was uncomfortable. She decided to take their child to her mother for support for fear that John could harm the baby.
There is evidence that John also experienced obsessive-compulsive disorder through the recurring images of three people in his mind, that is, William, the head of military top secret, his purported roommate, and his daughter.
After his horrific delusional event with William, the head of the military operation, John became traumatized. He kept looking outside through the window to find out if the Russians were after him. In Princeton, John spent most of his time alone and hardly socialized with people. He felt shy to talk to a girl he met at the school pub.
It was also evident that there was a substance-induced disorder due to tobacco abuse since John and his friends spent most of their time smoking.
Tentative Mental Health Nursing Diagnosis
The tentative nursing diagnosis includes impaired verbal communication, as evidenced by the client’s speech patterns, impaired social interaction, as demonstrated by the patient’s social behavior and distraught sensory perception, as evidenced by the visual and auditory hallucinations.
Potential and Expected Lab Results
Evaluating the patient’s behavior and moods are essential. If the patient presents with dysfunctional interaction with people or shows discomfort in verbal communications, then he/she may be suffering from impaired interaction. The possible evidence of hopelessness might include suicidal thoughts, sleeping disorders, and social repression. The desired result is to have individuals express feelings and approval of life events. The patient will also show independent problem-solving methods.
Top Three Nursing Diagnosis
Nursing diagnosis includes the risk of own-directed violence as evidenced by the history of violence and suicidal thoughts.
Impaired social collaboration, as evidenced by the changes in the patterns of interactions and discomfort during communication.
Spiritual repression, as proved by the patient’s profound feeling of guilt, hopelessness, and anger.
Factors from the Film Supporting the Above Nursing Diagnosis
In the Movie ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ John expresses violent behavior, especially when he is taken for mental treatment. He fights his doctors, thinking that they were Russians. John shows discomfort during social interactions and believes that people never liked him. After his treatment, he experiences intense guilt about everything that had happened in his life, and thus, he opts to remain indoors.
Nursing Interventions for the Respective Diagnosis
The nurses take the first diagnosis precautions to ensure the client’s suicidal thoughts do not escalate. The nurse will assess whether there is a high risk, which would require the client to be hospitalized or low risk. In the case of low risk, the client can be allowed to go home but remain under supervision from family members or friends. In the second nursing diagnosis, the client is provided with minimal concentration activities, such as drawing. Every time the client feels depressed, he should be engaged in a one-on-one activity with the mental health professional. It helps minimize the level of anxiety. The third nursing diagnosis is spiritual distress, whereby the mental health expert assesses the spiritual practices that offer comfort to the client. The client is encouraged to write journals to express their thoughts.
Measurable Potential Outcomes Related to the Nursing Diagnosis
For the first diagnosis possible outcome, the patient will seek help every time they experience self-destructive thoughts. The patient will begin to work on a constructive plan.
In the second diagnosis possible outcome, the patient will start to hold a conversation with family members, friends, and peers. The patient will also start taking part in some daily activities. For the third nursing diagnosis‘s desired outcome, the patient will start to share their thoughts. The patient will keep records through writing journals on their daily encounters.