Accolades flow for Russell Crowe's portrayal of schizophrenia
25 March 2002
A Beautiful Mind, the Oscar-winning film released in Australia this month, illustrates the challenges faced by those living with schizophrenia.
Mental health charity SANE Australia have labelled the performance of actor Russell Crowe as an ‘authentic’ portrayal of schizophrenia.
InA Beautiful Mind Crowe plays brilliant mathematician and Nobel Prize winner, John Forbes Nash, Jr, who has lived with schizophrenia for over 30 years.
Features of schizophrenia that make the illness so serious and distressing are:
- a difficulty to distinguish between what is real and imaginary;
- hallucinations and delusions;
- confused and disordered thinking;
- social withdrawal; and
- low motivation.
‘If Oscars were given for community education, Crowe deserves to win for challenging the stereotypes of schizophrenia to millions of people worldwide,’ said Executive Director of SANE Barbara Hocking.
Hocking hopes that Crowe’s ‘ground-breaking’ portrayal of John Nash will improve attitudes, changing ‘antipathy to empathy, making those who are suspicious and fearful, caring and supportive’.
Schizophrenia sufferer Ross Leonard commented, ‘The film gives an insight into what it’s like to experience the confusion of an ‘altered reality’ as I have at times.’
‘I hope people recognise this as more than just a ‘good flick’, but as the start of a public discussion that demystifies mental illness,’ he said.
Schizophrenia is treatable, but those who have the disease need access to effective treatment, as well as support in a tolerant community, to ensure their recovery to good health and good quality of life, according to Hocking.
Last Reviewed: 25 March 2002
