John Forbes Nash Jr is one of the most well-known mathematicians of our time.

He was known as the "Phantom of Fine Hall" while at Princeton because though he has a brilliant mathematical mind, he has suffered from schizophrenia since the 1950s.

He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994.

The film 'A Beautiful Mind' was about John Nash.

He invented the game Hex, a game a bit like the UK TV show 'Blockbusters'.

SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is a mental condition, with a biological basis, meaning it is not linked to things such as a bad childhood, or personal weakness. It is not, as is commonly believed, a split personality. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, thought disorder, and delusions. The hallucinations are perhaps the best known symptom, and these hallucinations can often be heard, seen or even felt.

Schizophrenia generally affects those who are most genetically disposed towards the disease (those with schizophrenic parents are more likely to become schizophrenic themselves), with the first onset of the disease usually occuring during adolescence to early adulthood (mostly in the 16-25 age range).

The majority of cases respond well to drug therapy, and these people can go on to lead perfectly normal lives. However, a few cases are more serious and don't respond well to treatment.

A Beautiful Mind

The story of John Nash has become famous through the film 'A Beautiful Mind', in which Russel Crow played Nash. The film showed Nash having many hallucinations, which told him to do things he wouldn't normally do, and whom he thought of as his closest friends. However, the real John Nash did not experience hallucinations as part of his schizophrenia, rather delusions that he was receiving messages from space. Because these messages were, according to him, received in the same way as his mathematical ideas were, he believed them. The film also shows Nash recovering due to his medication, when he infact recovered without, showing that schizophrenics can recover in time.