John Forbes Nash Jr. is known for his discoveries in economic sciences (although I doubt if such thing as “economic science” exists, but that is another thing). However he SHOULD be known for his medical discoveries!
No, Nash was not a doctor! But he managed to cure himself from schizophrenia without drugs and without doing any of the things his doctors told him to do! Even though he was admitted for many years into hospitals and even though he was treated for many years with drugs (medicine) and even electro-treatments, he was not getting better.
He did manage to become well only on his own and only after the stopped any treatment and any hospitalization! He retreated to a place where his eccentricity could pass unnoticed and therefore achieved what we all miss in life: peace. After that, it was a matter of time to impose himself onto… himself and get well!! His accomplishment was so incredible that the people who made the related movie “A Beautiful Mind” inaccurately implied that he was taking some new atypical antipsychotics during this period! [1]
As he said “it’s just a question of living a quiet life”… And he was right!
His example is not the only one. Many years ago there were some legendary radically thinking psychiatrists like R.D. Laing and D.G. Cooper who back in 1960’s were curing psychopaths by simply letting the disease “burn itself out”. By just allowing madness to take its natural course in a pleasant environment, without intervention. Schitzophrenics like Ian Spurling (later became the costume designer of Freddie Mercury) and Mary Barnes (later becase known artist-panter) are two example [see Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” for more]… Of course one must note that such programs like the ones in the Oak Ridge hospital had major failures (which resulted in deaths) and what is written here does not imply that a solution has been found, but rather that science must search for different paths…
Pharmaceutical companies should not rule science!
Science should not dogmatically believe in drugs and nothing more!
Thank you Nash!
THE OTHER SIDE: It is important to note the nature of what Nash did. He was cured, yes. On the other hand, what Nash managed to do is something we all do in some way every day. He decided to “superficially conform” – to behave normally or to experience “enforced rationality”, as he stated in his autobiography. Isn’t that what we all do, when we conform with the standards our society sets? Isn’t that what we all do when we comply to the “rationality rules” that the majority has instilled into every aspect of our life? Is that “curing”? Or just compromising?
THE CONSPIRACY SIDE: The fact that Nash was arrested (!!!) when he tried to go to Europe, so as to be forced to go to a hospital in US again points to the direction of weird scenarios that only a good cospiracy theorist could dream of. Why would the US government go into such a trouble just to “cure” an ill man? Let us stick to the “official” story for now. Let’s not become paranoid… Or should we? 🙂
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