Van Gogh

https://youtu.be/yaI2WBEZ5eI
Starry Night and The Night Cafe – Vincent Van Gogh

“If you don’t have a dog–at least one–there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.”
― Vincent van Gogh

What caused Van Gogh’s hallucinations?

Van Gogh

“At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”
― Vincent van Gogh

In a 2020 analysis of van Gogh’s mental health, three art historians concluded that he most likely developed bipolar disorder as a young adult. In addition to extreme shifts in mood, bipolar disorder can also cause other symptoms van Gogh reportedly lived with, including: psychosis.

Epilepsy

After van Gogh cut off his ear in December 1888, he was diagnosed by his physician with “acute mania with generalized delirium” and “mental epilepsy”. The artist himself reportedly also believed that he had this condition.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition causing abnormal brain activity that can result in seizures.

Epilepsy commonly occurs alongside other mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and can also sometimes cause psychosis.

Bipolar disorder

Because van Gogh reportedly experienced periods of high energy and productivity, often followed by episodes of depression and extreme fatigue, many experts have theorized that the artist lived with bipolar disorder.

In a 2020 analysis of van Gogh’s mental health, three art historians concluded that he most likely developed bipolar disorder as a young adult. In addition to extreme shifts in mood, bipolar disorder can also cause other symptoms van Gogh reportedly lived with, including:

psychosis insomnia memory problems Borderline personality disorder (BPD) a personality disorder that affects a person’s mood and behavior.

In a 2000 analysis Veekeren, who wrote the book “Starry Starry Night: Life and Psychiatric History of Vincent van Gogh,” pointed out that most experts base their diagnoses on van Gogh’s most extreme symptoms.

But according to van Meekeren, van Gogh showed signs of BPD throughout most of his life, including:

impulsivity
intense fear of abandonment
unstable self-image
In a 2020 assessment, experts concluded that although BPD couldn’t necessarily explain van Gogh’s symptoms, it was most likely an underlying cause of another condition for van Gogh, such as bipolar disorder.

Alcohol withdrawal

Many historians and doctors have speculated that van Gogh may have experienced symptoms of alcohol withdrawal due to alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Van Gogh became increasingly dependent on alcohol in the late 1880s, and was forced to quit “cold turkey” during multiple hospital stays between 1888 and 1889. Findings from a 2020 study showed that van Gogh was diagnosed with “delirium” after one hospital admittance, likely caused in part by alcohol withdrawal.

Researchers argue that the symptoms van Gogh experienced during these years may be signs of alcohol withdrawal, such as:

hallucinations anxiety nightmares seizures Schizophrenia

Although van Gogh’s history of mental illness has frequently been associated with schizophrenia over the years, researchers and experts have largely ruled out a possible diagnosis.

Van Gogh’s episodes of psychosis were brief and punctuated by periods of complete recovery. However, people with schizophrenia don’t typically experience this type of periodic remission.

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
― Vincent van Gogh

https://psychcentral.com/adhd/did-vincent-van-gogh-have-bipolar-disorder-or-schizophrenia#possible-conditions

“For me, life may well continue in solitude. I have never perceived those to whom I have been most attached other than as through a glass, darkly.”
― Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

“I put my heart and soul into my work, and I have lost my mind in the process.”
― Vincent Willem van Gogh

https://youtu.be/-8IPIfUwu78
Van Gogh – Cafe Terrace at Night Animation

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