Art & Migraine Headaches

Intense human emotions are abundant in a variety of art works, including the agony and paralyzing depression experienced by migraine sufferers. Migraines have provided inspiration and artistic outlet for paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, literary works by Virginia Woolf and Lewis Carroll, acting performances by Elizabeth Taylor and James Cromwell and musical performances by Elvis Presley, Carly Simon and Loretta Lynn.

Stages of Migraines

• Fatigue is a common symptom of migraine.

  Migraines are typically divided into four stages, though not all migraine sufferers experience all stages.

  Prodrome is the first stage of migraine and can occur from a few hours to a day or so before onset of the migraine headache. During this time a migraineur may feel fatigued or moody, possibly with food cravings.

  The second stage is the aura. Migraine aura can cause auditory hallucinations, confusion, decreased hearing, dizziness, heightened sensitivity to smells, partial paralysis or numbness in the face or extremities, and visual disturbances or hallucinations. Aura is different for every migraine sufferer and may change from episode to episode.

  Headache is the third stage of migraine and can last from 4 to 72 hours. A migraine headache lasting longer than 72 hours is classified as status migrainosis and can be incredibly debilitating.

  The headache stage is followed by postdrome, during which a migraineur may again experience fatigue or a feeling of being "wiped out." This stage can last several days.

Prodrome and Aura

• Migraine aura frequently causes visual disturbances.

  The prodrome and aura stages of migraine often overlap, as they both precede the headache stage. When there is an overlap, a migraineur can experience a whole host of symptoms that occur minutes, hours or days prior to the headache attack. During this time migraine sufferers can feel hyperactive, irritable, have food cravings, feel increased pains or skin sensitivity and begin noticing visual disturbances.

Visual Aura

• Zigzag patterns and vibrant colors are often reported with aura.

  Though the visual effects of a migraine aura can vary from migraineur to migraineur, there are often similarities. To date it is not known what exactly causes aura, whether it be nerve activity around the blood vessels, decreased or increased oxygen levels in the brain, or something not yet fully researched. Whatever the cause, aura can produce a loss of vision, visual hallucinations or intense colors and patterns across the field of vision. This visual impairment can affect one or both eyes during an episode.

Visual Hallucinations

• Closing the eyes does not provide an escape from aura.

  Visual disturbances can range from a simple dot or blind spot to flashing lights, seeing stars, changing shapes of light, zigzag patterns either in white or vibrant colors, neon borders around objects in the field of vision, lattice work and more.

  It has been reported by researchers that migraine aura sufferers agree that “whatever the visual effects, they cannot be escaped. Closing the eyes or trying to look around the effects does not help.”

Art Inspired by Migraine

• Many works of art have been inspired by migraine aura.

  German artist Delia Malchert represented the scintillating scotoma visual hallucinations of her aura in paintings. While the hallucinations of migraine aura are irritating, Ms. Malchert admits they can be aesthetically pleasing.

  Dutch impressionist Vincent Van Gogh suffered from violent migraines, though at the time he was perceived as mildly insane. Treatment for insanity at St. Remy Asylum in France proved ineffective and debilitating, though it did provide time for Van Gogh to create his famous painting "‘Starry Night." It is believed that his vibrant use of color was inspired by his migraine aura.

Migraine Art

• Migraine art provides an outlet for migraine sufferers.

  The concept of Migraine Art was developed by Derek Robinson in the 1970s as a way to encourage artists to illustrate the impact migraine had on their lives. Migraine Art has been an inspiration for public competitions, providing a medium for migraine sufferers to express their pain as representational art.