"A Beautiful Mind" stars Russell Crowe, who plays the brilliant, although troubled mathematical genius and Nobel Laureate in Economics, John Forbes Nash. Although the movie has been criticized as to the accuracy of Nash's life, it takes an entertaining and compelling look at the interplay between stress and psychosis.

The movie first opens with Nash beginning his studies at Princeton University, the point at which he begins to experience hallucinations. The most notable hallucinations include his "friend" Charles (played by Paul Bettany) and Department of Defense member William Parcher (played by Ed Harris). The audience assumes these individuals are real until the plot reveals that they are mental creations from the mind of Nash. Although Nash did not experience visual hallucinations in real life, Charles and Parcher represent the overall struggles he had with psychosis.

The movie portrays Nash's life from Princeton, to teaching at MIT, to his battle with psychosis, and finally to winning the Nobel Laureate. This movie would be a good choice for a DSM or diagnosis class, as a way to illustrate Psychotic Disorders (Paranoid Schizophrenia). It may be helpful to have students point out the criteria that were met for Paranoid Schizophrenia, and why the diagnosis would not be something else according to the DSM-IV-TR. The film also provides a history lesson of early treatment for severe mental health problems, which appear quite cruel. The movie also can provide a forum from which to discuss possible explanations and treatment approaches based on Nash’s symptoms.