scholarly journals New Vision on the Mental Problems of Vincent Van Gogh; Results From a Bottom-up Approach Using (Semi-)structured Diagnostic Interviews

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Nolen ◽  
Erwin Van Meekeren ◽  
Piet Voskuil ◽  
Willem Van Tilburg

Abstract Background: On July 29, 1890 at the age of 37 years, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh died from the consequences of a suicide attempt with a gun two days earlier. Since then many medical and psychological theories were suggested about what had happened to Van Gogh.Aim: To present an overview of the history of the mental problems of Van Gogh and the most likely diagnoses.Method: (Semi-)structured diagnostic interviews were applied to three art historians who are very familiar with Van Gogh from his correspondence and other sources and as well as a neuropsychiatric examination to evaluate whether the symptoms might be explained by a medical conditionResults: Several previously suggested diagnoses could be excluded as being highly unlikely, while other diagnoses could be classified as more of less likely. Conclusion: Most likely Van Gogh suffered from comorbid illnesses. Since young adulthood, he likely developed a (probably bipolar) mood disorder in combination with (traits of) a borderline personality disorder as underlying vulnerability. This likely worsened through an alcohol use disorder combined with malnutrition, which then led, in combination with rising psychosocial tensions, to a crisis in which he cut off his ear. Thereafter, he likely developed two deliriums probably related to alcohol withdrawal, followed by a worsening with severe depressive episodes (of which at least one with psychotic features) from which he did not fully recover, finally leading to his suicide.As additional comorbidity,focal (temporal lobe)epilepsy cannot be excluded.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem A. Nolen ◽  
Erwin van Meekeren ◽  
Piet Voskuil ◽  
Willem van Tilburg

Abstract Background On July 29, 1890 at the age of 37 years, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh died from the consequences of a suicide attempt with a gun 2 days earlier. Since then many medical and psychological theories were suggested about what had happened to Van Gogh. Aim To present an overview of the history of the mental problems of Van Gogh and the most likely diagnoses. Method (Semi-)structured diagnostic interviews were applied to three art historians who are very familiar with Van Gogh from his correspondence and other sources as well as a neuropsychiatric examination to evaluate whether the symptoms might be explained by a medical condition. Results Several previously suggested diagnoses could be excluded as being highly unlikely, while other diagnoses could be classified as more of less likely. Conclusion Most likely Van Gogh suffered from comorbid illnesses. Since young adulthood, he likely developed a (probably bipolar) mood disorder in combination with (traits of) a borderline personality disorder as underlying vulnerability. This likely worsened through an alcohol use disorder combined with malnutrition, which then led, in combination with rising psychosocial tensions, to a crisis in which he cut off his ear. Thereafter, he likely developed two deliriums probably related to alcohol withdrawal, followed by a worsening with severe depressive episodes (of which at least one with psychotic features) from which he did not fully recover, finally leading to his suicide. As additional comorbidity, focal (temporal lobe) epilepsy cannot be excluded.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimiya Nakamura ◽  
Junichi Iga ◽  
Naoki Matsumoto ◽  
Tetsuro Ohmori

ObjectiveSevere depression may be a risk factor for diagnostic conversion into bipolar disorder (BD), and psychotic depression (PD) has been consistently associated with BD. The aims of the present study were to investigate the stability of the diagnosis of severe depression and the differences between PD and non-psychotic severe depression (non-PD), as well as to assess the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).MethodsPatients who were hospitalised for severe depression (diagnosed according to ICD-10) both with and without psychotic symptoms (n=89; mean age=55.6 years, SD=13.9) from 2001 to 2010 were retrospectively assessed.ResultsBy the 75th month of follow-up assessments, 11(12.4%) patients had developed BD. Among these 11 converters, nine had developed BD within 1 year after admission. Only sub-threshold hypomanic symptoms were significantly related to developing BD. The number of depressive episodes and history of physical diseases were significantly increased in non-PD compared with PD patients, whereas ECT was significantly increased in PD compared with non-PD patients. There was a significant association between length of stay at the hospital and the number of days between admission and ECT.ConclusionSub-threshold hypomanic symptoms may represent a prodrome of BD or an indicator of an already manifest phenotype, especially in older patients, which suggests cautious use of antidepressants. In severe depression, non-PD may often occur secondary to physical diseases and patients may experience increased recurrences compared with PD patients, which may be a more ‘primary’ disorder and often requires ECT treatments. ECT is effective for severe depression regardless of the presence of any psychotic feature; the earlier ECT is introduced, the better the expected treatment outcome.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1151-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Bukh ◽  
P. K. Andersen ◽  
L. V. Kessing

BackgroundIn depression, non-remission, recurrence of depressive episodes after remission and conversion to bipolar disorder are crucial determinants of poor outcome. The present study aimed to determine the cumulative incidences and clinical predictors of these long-term outcomes after the first lifetime episode of depression.MethodA total of 301 in- or out-patients aged 18–70 years with a validated diagnosis of a single depressive episode were assessed from 2005 to 2007. At 5 years of follow-up, 262 patients were reassessed by means of the life chart method and diagnostic interviews from 2011 to 2013. Cumulative incidences and the influence of clinical variables on the rates of remission, recurrence and conversion to bipolar disorder, respectively, were estimated by survival analysis techniques.ResultsWithin 5 years, 83.3% obtained remission, 31.5% experienced recurrence of depression and 8.6% converted to bipolar disorder (6.3% within the first 2 years). Non-remission increased with younger age, co-morbid anxiety and suicidal ideations. Recurrence increased with severity and treatment resistance of the first depression, and conversion to bipolar disorder with treatment resistance, a family history of affective disorder and co-morbid alcohol or drug abuse.ConclusionsThe identified clinical characteristics of the first lifetime episode of depression should guide patients and clinicians for long-term individualized tailored treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Paula Arantzazu Ruiz

Few painters have had as many films made about their lives as Vincent van Gogh. The interest in his story is due in part to the mystery surrounding his last days, in Arles, France. It is thus no coincidence that all the biopics about the Dutch painter focus on this stage of his life, including the recent works Loving Vincent (2017), an animated film by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, and Julian Schnabel’s At Eternity’s Gate (2018). A comparative study of these two feature films, representing two different aesthetic and dramatic approaches, is conducted in pursuit of the two objectives of this paper: to identify the conventions of the subgenre of the artist biopic; and consequently, to analyze how both films reflect on the artist’s creative practice in order to determine whether the film camera is in fact capable of capturing the brushstroke and the mystique of the genius.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Kamil Zeidler ◽  
Aleksandra Guss

In 1890, Vincent van Gogh moved from Paris to Auvers-sur-Oise, where he met Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, who agreed to host and take care of the painter, especially regarding his mental health. However, he did not manage to save the artist, who committed suicide the same year. His hopeless mental health was seen in the famous portrait of Dr. Gachet, which radiated a distinct melancholy and sadness. The Portrait of Dr. Gachet was bought for $ 82.5 million by a Japanese millionaire and art collector, Ryoei Saito, who said that after his death it was to be burned along with his corpse. It raised loud objections in the art world, which recognised the common good and the legacy of our cultural heritage in the painting. This case is a classic example of a dispute between the ideals of liberalism and communitarianism and is seen as a hard case in law. The aim of the article is to present the history of The Portrait of Dr. Gachet and its place in the dispute between liberalism and communitarianism (in the context of cultural heritage law), which in turn means that this case can be seen as a hard case.


2021 ◽  
Vol 266 ◽  
pp. 05005
Author(s):  
I.D. Repin ◽  
M.A. Vasilyeva

The conflict arises when comparing the creative path of Vincent van Gogh with the views of Kazimir Malevich will be examined in this article. The authors have used painting and writings of both artists to better understand their ideas and aesthetics approaches when considering this conflict. A comparison of their positions reveals a distinction that becomes very important for understanding of Malevich's view on the history of art and the observations of his articles


2017 ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Lesia Malevych ◽  
Maia Dziuba

The article deals with the theoretical and practical aspects of the motivation for naming eponymic terms, e.g., terms named for a person, such as zakony Niutona, parkinsonizm (Newton’s laws, parkinsonism). Terminology recognizes many approaches to the motivation for term naming due to the different types of relations between the motivation of term and its inner form (semantic aspect), between the motivation of term and its systemic importance (the organization of systemic relations in terminological vocabulary), between the motivation of term and the communication process (functional aspect). Motivation for naming is defined as an integral characteristic of any term due to the fact that terminological system is secondary to the general language. Terminological motivation is interpreted as a structural semantic feature which helps to understand the interconnectedness of the other lexical units and their relation to a specific terminological field. Types of motivation are often identified as a means of categorizing eponymic language units in separate thematic groups. Considering the defining principle of terminological nomination – the regularity of word-formative models – we suggest to view the established tradition of using proper names in specific terms for nominating certain categories of notions as a special motivation type – eponym motivation: pravylo Lentsa [zakon Lentsa] (Lenz’s rule [Lenz’s law]) (physics) – law named after the physicist Heinrich Lenz who formulated it in 1834. Motivation for naming eponymic terms is defined, first of all, by the direct relation to the denoted object, its definition and place in terminological system which can be both explicit or hidden. Eponymic terms can be characterized by all 10 three motivation types: word-formative and morphological, syntactic, semantic. Hidden motivation can be discovered with the help of etymological analysis or studying extra-linguistic factors, e.g., syndrom Van-Hoha (Van Gogh syndrome) is named after the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. So, inner form is able to preserve diverse structure of knowledge about linguistic and extra-linguistic reality which is particularly important in terms of anthropocentrism – methodological principle which plays the key role in studying of motivation, i.e., fixation of the connection (which speaker is aware of) between form and content of the lexeme in relation to the phenomena of linguistic and extra-linguistic reality. Theoretical and practical problems of motivation for naming eponymic terms needs further terminological research, in particular, based on the principles of the anthropocentric paradigm.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annukka K. Lindell

In the history of portraiture, left cheek poses dominate. However, self-portraits favor the right cheek. Previous studies consistently report left biases for portraits of others and right biases for self-portraits; only one study has examined self-portrait pose orientation across a single artist’s corpus. The present study investigated posing biases of prolific self-portraitist Vincent van Gogh. Posing orientation in single-figure portrait ( N = 174) and self-portrait ( N = 37) paintings was coded. Unlike other artists, van Gogh was equally likely to paint himself in left and right cheek poses. Similarly, portraits of others showed no difference in left and right cheek frequencies but were distinguished by the inclusion of midline poses. These data highlight the importance of single artist cases studies when investigating portrait posing biases.


Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Hallensleben ◽  
Lena Spangenberg ◽  
Thomas Forkmann ◽  
Dajana Rath ◽  
Ulrich Hegerl ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Although the fluctuating nature of suicidal ideation (SI) has been described previously, longitudinal studies investigating the dynamics of SI are scarce. Aim: To demonstrate the fluctuation of SI across 6 days and up to 60 measurement points using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMA). Method: Twenty inpatients with unipolar depression and current and/or lifetime suicidal ideation rated their momentary SI 10 times per day over a 6-day period. Mean squared successive difference (MSSD) was calculated as a measure of variability. Correlations of MSSD with severity of depression, number of previous depressive episodes, and history of suicidal behavior were examined. Results: Individual trajectories of SI are shown to illustrate fluctuation. MSSD values ranged from 0.2 to 21.7. No significant correlations of MSSD with several clinical parameters were found, but there are hints of associations between fluctuation of SI and severity of depression and suicidality. Limitations: Main limitation of this study is the small sample size leading to low power and probably missing potential effects. Further research with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI. Conclusion: The results illustrate the dynamic nature and the diversity of trajectories of SI across 6 days in psychiatric inpatients with unipolar depression. Prediction of the fluctuation of SI might be of high clinical relevance. Further research using EMA and sophisticated analyses with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI.


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