Steve Franklin, MSW, LCSW 6829 Gravois Ave St. Louis, MO 63116 [e-mail] www. Steve FranklinMSW.com 314-517-8383

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The Soloist

• Steve Franklin, MSW, LCSW6829 Gravois Ave
  St. Louis, MO 63116SteveFranklin_at_JUNO.com
  www. Steve FranklinMSW.com 314-517-8383

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• Introduction
• The Soloist
• Analysis
• Adam Crane
• Questions/Comments

3
What is this movie about?

• The book
• (Based on his L.A. Times columns)
• The Soloist
• A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the
  Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez

4
What is this movie about?

• Is this a story about
• Mental Illness
• Schizophrenia
• Homelessness
• Friendship
• Music
• Newspaper business
• Or ?????

5
What is this movie about?

• It is about Nathaniel Ayers
• Schizophrenic Musician?
• Musician with Schizophrenia?
• Angry, cantankerous man?
• Victim of oppressive society?
• Free spirit?

6
What is schizophrenia?

• delusions
• hallucinations
• disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or
  incoherence)
• grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
• negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening,
  alogia, or avolition

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What is schizophrenia?

• NOT better explained by Mood disorder,
  Developmental disorder (e.g. autism),Drugs,
  Medical condition
• Paranoid type
• Catatonic Type
• Disorganized type

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What is schizophrenia?

• Related features---
• Odd/Eccentric or Suspicious Personality
• Anxious or Fearful or Dependent Personality
• Dramatic or Erratic or Antisocial Personality

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• How important is
• a diagnosis?

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• Is treatment for
• mental illness
• central to the problem
• of homelessness?

11
Los Angeles Mens Project (LAMP)

• Movie depicts their approach
• to serving homeless.
• 450 participants
• in homeless programs
• were hired as actors and extras
• for the movie

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• Patience

13
Put yourself in the position

• Of family/friends
• Who want to help Mr. Ayers.
• Whats right?
• Whats best?
• What do you think his goals should be?

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Put yourself in Mr. Ayers position.

• People wanting to help you, telling what they
  think is best for you.
• Responding to fears, uncertainty about what/who
  you can trust
• What do you think your goals would be?

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• Least Restrictive Environment

16
Music

•  
• (Played by Ben Hong)
• "I wasn't playing as myself
• I had to play like somebody else
• like three different people.

17
The Soloist
18
Analysis
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What is this movie about?

• he really wanted this to be a film
• not about mental illness
• but about faith.
• He also said it was a love story,

20
The book (The real story)

• Liberties in converting book to Film
• Steve Lopez happily married, with young daughter
• Reports no violence by Mr. Ayers
• Added pressure being black at Julliard
• Recital at a nightclub.

21
Is this a story about..
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Mental Illness/ Schizophrenia?

• Ongoing debate, especially in the book
• How necessary is a diagnosis?
• Diagnosed Paranoid Schizophrenic
• Lopez tries to arrange psychiatrist visit

23
Mental Illness/ Schizophrenia?

• Lopez quotes Mark Ragins of The VillageLong
  Beach
• If Nathaniel is going to get better,
• it wont be because of a correct diagnosis and
  textbook treatment program,
• but because he develops enough trust in me and
  others to pursue his own recovery.

24
Homelessness

• Greater focus for Lopez
• Mr. Ayers is still sleeping inside.
•  
• (Mollie Lowery founded Lamp)
• to build a welcoming place
• without judgment,
• a place where clients could be themselves in a
  setting without expectation or rigid rules.

25
Friendship

• Mr. Lopez comes to appreciate what he gets from
  the friendship
• Not just trying to fulfill obligation or rescue
• Goes to spend the night with Nathaniel. Cant
  sleep not comfortable dozing checks into
  hotel for 2 hours
• (Mr. Ayers visits Lopez family at home)

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Music

• Mr. Ayers identification as a musician seems
  able to overpower his identity as homeless or
  schizophrenic
• Helps others connect with him.
• Helps establish a sense of purpose
• Expression of life energy/libido

27
Newspaper business

• A fading ability to touch masses of people
• (In book, Lopez whether to continue newspaper
  work)

28
?????
29
Nathaniel Ayers

• Foxx he is a person who is trying
• to make sense of the world.
• I think he has figured out how to remain
  functional in his own way
• in our society.

30
Put yourself in the position of family/friends

• Steve Lopez turned to National Mental Health
  Association of Greater Los Angeles (now MHA LA)
• Juxtaposition Lopez looking for Ayers mother
  (?) looking for Ayers the impact of mental
  illness on families.

31
Put yourself in the position of family/friends

• LopezOnce contemplates alleging violence to
  compel treatment (Shown in movie, thinking out
  loud)
• If he is gravely disabled, under California
  law, he could be subjected to forced treatments.
• Reports times when Mr. Ayers was so furious that
  he wondered if he could get violent

32
Put yourself in Mr. Ayers position.

• Foxx
• They start off butting heads because Steve wants
  to save this guy's life and Nathaniel doesn't
  think
• his life needs saving.

33
Put yourself in Mr. Ayers position.

• Least Restrictive Environment
• How comfortable are you with the lifestyle of
  Nathaniel Ayers?

34
Put yourself in Mr. Ayers position.

• Whats more humane, after all? To respect
  someones civil liberties to the point of
  allowing them to wither away on the street, or to
  intercede in the interest of their own welfare.