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= Vincent van Gogh's Mental Health = Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 - July 29, 1890) was a post-impressionist artist. While he sold very few of his works in his lifetime, it is estimated he created over 2,000 paintings[]. Known around the world today as the artist who cut off his ear, van Gogh struggled with mental health issues for years before committing suicide. While only so much can be collected from his records from over 100 years ago, researchers still have an idea of what mental illnesses may have plagued the young man in the last months of his life.

Van Gogh's History Leading Up To His Suicide
It was very clear to those in Vincent's family that something was wrong with the artist. He wrote hundreds of letters to his brother Theo van Gogh[], and even lived with him for a time; Theo may have known his brother's illness better than anyone.

Before Theo, Protestant pastors worked with the young artist, who had a passion for the ministry prior to painting. At first, the pastors training him were very excited; Vincent was extremely zealous in his work for them, hoping to become a pastor like his father. When he was 25, Vincent volunteered to pastor to a village in Belgium called Borinage. Many attribute his work here to be a turning point for the artist; two years after he started here, he left the evangelical life to paint.

Vincent had given his entire self to his work with the pastors who sponsored him; he gave away all of his unnecessary possessions, devoted himself completely to the pastoral life, yet six months into his work in Borinage, the men who sponsored him deemed him unfit to be a pastor there. They seemed to think that he was too obsessive with his work there.

A year and a half after leaving Borinage, at 27 years old, Vincent officially left the pastoral life for one of an artist.

From there on, van Gogh painted over 2,000 pieces, selling little to none. He lived with Theo for a time, going through bouts of madness in between spurts of painting and searching for inspiration.

Taking a Turn for the Worst
Many attribute van Gogh to the act of cutting off his ear. In reality, the man only cut off a portion of the left lobe, giving it to a favorite prostitute named Rachel. He was 35 years old, just two years before his suicide. This started him down a path of self-help, however, and he sought out a doctor who would work with mental illness in a time when most did not believe mental health was something to be concerned with.

He found none other than Doctor Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, who both treated him and bored him. After Theo referred him, Vincent came to Gachet on May 20, 1990 in Auvers-sur-Oise. Gachet's notes describe him as healthy and fit.

Vincent came to dislike Gachet and his time in Auvers, saying "There is nothing to keep us here, absolutely nothing, except Gachet" in a letter he wrote just a week after arriving.

Many researchers and doctors now believe that Vincent suffered from bipolar disorder, and many judge Gachet for his failure to treat Vincent. A mere ten weeks later, Vincent commit suicide with a revolver he supposedly borrowed from the innkeeper of the inn where Vincent stayed while in Auvers.