Who’s your favorite historical figure who lived with Migraine or another Headache Disorder?
Vase of Flowers van Gogh c. 1887
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), a post-impressionist Dutch painter, is believed to have suffered from Migraines with aura. Back in the nineteenth century, people who had Migraines, then known as “sick headaches”, were thought to be exhibiting symptoms of insanity. van Gogh had many other disorders and was likely bipolar and/or schizophrenic. He also smoked, drank heavily and had a poor diet.
I’ve been intrigued with van Gogh’s work ever since Don McLean’s song “Vincent” became a hit record using the painting Starry Night as inspiration. van Gogh’s biography of being misunderstood and lonely piqued my interest as did his desperate acts of cutting off part of his left ear and later committing suicide.
Now I can relate to him even more knowing he was a Migraneur. If we think we are midunderstood in today’s world, it’s horrible to imagine his double stigma of having Migraines and mental illness. Although I don’t have aura, van Gogh’s Starry Night painting, seen below, is believed to be a depiction of an aura experience.
c. 1889
The images of van Gogh’s paintings are from http://allposters.com
Information for this post was gleaned from Wikipedia and M.A.G.N.U.M.
June 2013, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, is dedicated to Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache Disorders.
The 2013 Migraine and Headache Awareness Month Blog Challenge is a project of http://FightingHeadacheDisorders.com
Andreamarjulie's Blog 