VIRTUAL-Friday, March 12, 2027, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM-The Complex Life Trajectories of Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo: Lessons to be Learned within Suicidology with Barent Walsh, Ph.D.

VIRTUAL-Friday, March 12, 2027, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Lessons to be Learned within Suicidology

Barent Walsh, Ph.D.

Presentations on suicide prevention and treatment often take the path of reviewing statistics and then moving into evidence-based interventions. This presentation employs a different approach: It reviews the biographies of two artistic geniuses: Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). Both were exceptionally gifted artists whose lives were complex and painful. Van Gogh was isolated since childhood, had few sustained relationships as an adult, and relied largely on his brother and his passion for painting to survive. When his relationship with his brother became a burden and his paintings declined, he chose to end his life. 

Frida Kahlo endured physical challenges related to polio as a 7-year-old and a violent trolley accident when she was 18. She remained physically compromised for the remainder of her life with numerous surgeries including a late-life amputation. Adding to her physical problems was her complex painful relationship with her husband, noted muralist Diego Rivera. He had many extramarital affairs including one – most damagingly - with Frida’s beloved sister, Cristina. Frida’s health issues and marriage would have defeated many, but she had some close friends and her painting gave her a means to express profoundly her pain. She survived whereas van Gogh did not. What can be learned from these two life trajectories?

Learning Objectives:

• The suicide theory of Thomas Joiner will be used to explicate the suicide death of van Gogh and survival/ resilience of Frida Kahlo.
• This theory will be employed to discuss how we might have “saved” van Gogh (were we to be interventionists today) and what we can learn from Frida Kahlo’s immense courage and persistence.
• The audience will be asked to discuss examples from their clinical experience (anonymously) that echo the trajectories of van Gogh and/ or Kahlo.

YOUR TRAINER:

Barent Walsh, Ph.D. has written extensively and presented internationally on the topic of self-destructive behavior. He is the author of three books on non-suicidal self-injury, including Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide 2nd edition, Guilford Press, (2014). This volume has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Dutch and Polish. His most recent publication is, “Understanding and Treating Atypical Severe Non-Suicidal Self-Injury,” (2024) in the “Oxford University Press Handbook of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.”

Dr. Walsh is Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Clinical Consultant at Open Sky Community Services, a human service agency headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. Walsh also was formerly a Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA.

Dr. Walsh received the following recognition in 2021:

“On behalf of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) Board of Directors, we would like to honour your extensive contributions to the field by inviting you to be an Invited Fellow of ISSS. This invitation reflects the highest recognition of your many contributions to the field, notably your seminal work and publications in the areas of assessment and treatment of self-injury.”

An innovative recent presentation by Dr. Walsh was, “How Did Frida Kahlo Not Die By Suicide? A Story of Episodic Physical and Psychological Misery Met with Self-Exploring Exposure.” Mass. DPH Suicide Prevention Conference, April 2025.