The essence of the Van Gogh syndrome is the irresistible desire of a mentally ill person to perform operations on himself: to inflict extensive cuts, cut off various parts of the body. The syndrome can be observed in patients with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. The basis of this disorder is aggressive attitudes aimed at injuring and harming oneself.
The life and death of Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh, the world-famous post-impressionist painter, suffered from a mental illness, but modern doctors and historians can only guess how. There are several versions: schizophrenia, Meniere's disease (this term did not exist then, but the symptoms are similar to Van Gogh's behavior) or epileptic psychosis. The last diagnosis was made to the artist by his attending physician and a colleague of the latter, who worked in a shelter. Perhaps it was about the negative consequences of alcohol abuse, namely absinthe.
Van Gogh began his creative activity only at the age of 27, and died at 37. During the day, the artist could paint several paintings. The records of the attending physician indicate that in the intervals between attacks, Van Gogh was calm and passionately indulged in the creative process. He was the eldest child in the family and from childhood he showed a controversial character: at home he was a rather difficult child, and outside the family he was quiet and modest. This duality persisted into adulthood.
Van Gogh's suicide
Obvious bouts of mental illness began in the last years of life. The artist either reasoned very soberly, or fell into complete confusion. According to the official version, hard physical and mental work, as well as a riotous lifestyle, led to death. Vincent van Gogh, as mentioned earlier, abused absinthe.
In the summer of 1890, the artist went for a walk with materials for creativity. He also had a gun with him to scare away flocks of birds during work. After finishing writing "Wheatfield with Crows", Van Gogh shot himself in the heart with this pistol, and then independently got to the hospital. After 29 hours, the artist died from blood loss. Shortly before the incident, he was discharged from a psychiatric clinic, concluding that Van Gogh was completely he althy, and the mental crisis had passed.
Ear Incident
In 1888, on the night of December 23-24, Van Gogh lost his ear. His friend and colleague Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin told the police that there had been a quarrel between them. Gauguin wanted to leave the city, andVan Gogh did not want to part with his friend, he threw a glass of absinthe at the artist and went to spend the night in the nearest inn.
Van Gogh, left alone and in a depressed psychological state, cut off his earlobe with a dangerous razor. Van Gogh's self-portrait is even dedicated to this event. Then he wrapped his lobe in a newspaper and went to a brothel to a familiar prostitute to show the trophy and find solace. At least that's what the artist told the police. Officers found him unconscious the next day.
Other versions
Some believe that Paul Gauguin cut off his friend's ear in a fit of rage. He was a good swordsman, so it was easy for him to pounce on Van Gogh and cut off the lobe of his left ear with a rapier. After that, Gauguin could throw weapons into the river.
There is a version that the artist injured himself because of the news about the marriage of his brother Theo. According to biographer Martin Bailey, he received the letter on the very day he cut off his ear. Van Gogh's brother attached 100 francs to the letter. The biographer notes that Theo for the artist was not only a beloved relative, but also a significant sponsor.
The hospital where the victim was taken was diagnosed with acute mania. The notes of Felix Frey, a mental hospital intern who looked after the artist, indicate that Van Gogh cut off not only his earlobe, but his entire ear.
Mental illness
Van Gogh's mental illness is rather mysterious. It is known that during seizures hehe could eat his own paints, rush around the room for hours and freeze in one position for a long time, he was overcome by melancholy and anger, terrible hallucinations visited him. The artist said that during the period of darkness he saw images of future paintings. It is possible that Van Gogh first saw the self-portrait during an attack.
At the clinic, he was also diagnosed with another diagnosis - "epilepsy of the temporal lobes". True, the opinions of doctors about the state of he alth of the artist diverged. Felix Rey, for example, believed that Van Gogh was ill with epilepsy, and the head of the clinic was of the opinion that the patient had brain damage - encephalopathy. The artist was prescribed hydrotherapy - two hours in the bath twice a week, but it did not help.
Dr. Gachet, who observed Van Gogh for some time, believed that the patient was negatively affected by prolonged exposure to heat and turpentine, which the artist drank during his work. But he used turpentine already during the attack to relieve the symptoms.
The most common opinion about Van Gogh's mental he alth today is the diagnosis of "epileptic psychosis". This is a rare disease that affects only 3-5% of patients. The fact that there were epileptics among the artist's relatives also speaks in favor of the diagnosis. The predisposition might not have manifested if not for hard work, alcohol, stress and poor nutrition.
Van Gogh Syndrome
Diagnosis is made when a mentally ill person mutilates himself. Van Gogh syndrome - self-operating or persistentthe patient's request to the doctor to perform a surgical intervention. The condition occurs in dysmorphophobia, schizophrenia and dysmorphomania, as well as some other mental disorders.
Van Gogh syndrome is caused by the presence of hallucinations, impulsive cravings, delusions. The patient is convinced that some part of the body is so deformed that it causes unbearable physical and moral suffering to the owner of the deformity and causes horror in those around him. The only solution the patient finds is to get rid of his imaginary defect in absolutely any way. In this case, there is actually no defect.
It is believed that Van Gogh cut off his ear, suffering severe migraines, dizziness, pain and tinnitus that drove him into a frenzy, nervous strain. Depression and chronic stress could lead to schizophrenia. Sergei Rachmaninov, Alexander Dumas son, Nikolai Gogol and Ernest Hemingway suffered from the same pathology.
In modern psychiatry
Van Gogh Syndrome is one of the most famous psychopathologies. Mental deviation is associated with an irresistible desire to perform operations on oneself with amputation of body parts or forcing medical personnel to carry out the same manipulations. As a rule, Van Gogh's syndrome is not a separate disease, but accompanies another mental disorder. Most often, patients with hypochondriacal delusions, dysmorphomania and schizophrenia are susceptible to pathology.
The cause of Van Gogh syndrome is auto-aggression and self-damaging behavior inas a result of depression, demonstrative behavior, various violations of self-control, the inability to resist stress factors and adequately respond to everyday difficulties. According to statistics, men are more likely to suffer from the syndrome, but women are more susceptible to auto-aggressive behavior. Female patients are more likely to self-inflict cuts and wounds, while men tend to injure themselves in the genital area.
Provoking factors
The development of Van Gogh's syndrome can be affected by a number of factors: genetic predisposition, drug and alcohol addiction, various diseases of internal organs, socio-psychological aspects. The genetic factor plays a major role. According to contemporaries, Van Gogh's sisters suffered from mental retardation and schizophrenia, and the aunt suffered from epilepsy.
The level of personality control is reduced under the influence of alcoholic beverages and drugs. If the patient is disposed to auto-aggressive behavior, then a decrease in self-control and volitional qualities can lead to serious injuries. The consequences of Van Gogh's syndrome in this case are deplorable - a person can lose too much blood and die.
An important role is played by socio-psychological influence. Most often, the patient injures himself due to the inability to cope with everyday stresses and stresses, conflicts. Patients often claim that they replace emotional pain with physical pain in this way.
In some cases, the desire to conductsurgical operation is caused by a severe course of any disease. A person who suffers from a mental disorder and is constantly in pain is more likely to injure himself in order to get rid of the discomfort. It was stated above that Van Gogh's amputation was an attempt by the artist to get rid of insurmountable pain and constant tinnitus.
Syndrome Treatment
Therapy for Van Gogh's syndrome involves identifying the underlying mental illness or the causes of the obsessive desire to injure oneself. To remove an obsessive desire, antipsychotics, antidepressants and tranquilizers are used. Hospitalization required. For Van Gogh syndrome, schizophrenia or other mental illness, this will help reduce the risk of injury.
Psychotherapy will be effective only if the syndrome manifests itself against a background of neurosis or depressive disorder. More effective is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which will establish not only the causes of the patient's behavior, but also suitable ways to confront outbreaks of aggression. The process of recovery in Van Gogh syndrome with dysmorphomania with the dominance of auto-aggressive attitudes is difficult because the patient is not able to achieve positive results.
Treatment is long and not always successful. Therapy in general can come to a standstill if the patient has a persistent state of delirium.
