He Cotard's syndromealso known as nihilistic delusion or denial, is a mental disorder that further demonstrates the complexity of the brain. This organ exhibits unusual functioning and behavior. People who suffer from it have the feeling of being dead.
Cotard syndrome refers to the French psychiatrist and neurologist Jules Cotardwho first described this disorder in 1880. People who suffer from it feel detached from reality and usually show a great lack of interest in continuing in the world.
Why does Cotard's syndrome occur?
The probable causes of this delirium happening fall on the limbic systemlocated in the brain, which is responsible for processing emotions.
These people have good information processing but they fail in emotional stimuluswhich is why things lose their meaning. It is understood as an incoherence between the information transmitted to us by our senses and the emotional response, which can be considered as «common sense.»
Some experts believe that this is caused by a neurobiological abnormality that results in neuropsychological impairment.
Characteristics of Cotard syndrome
People who suffer from this syndrome do not believe they are going to die, because they believe they are already dead. Below are some characteristics of people who suffer from it and of the syndrome itself:
- Memory loss.
- They commit self-harm.
- Derealization. They perceive information as something alien to reality.
- Your sensory information is correct, but the idea that it is not true prevails.
- Although the most common thought of people who suffer from it is that they are dead, others believe that it is others who are dead. Others feel that they are immortals or be decomposingand others only conceive certain parts of their body, believing that the rest are destroyed or not functioning. There are also minority cases in which the patient believes that their organs are enlarged and elongated.
- Malfunction of limbic structures of the brain.
- Low frequency of documented cases in the world.
- It depends on other diseasesIt is associated, for example, with severe psychotic depression or schizophrenia.
- It may indicate a future progressive general paralysis or Alzheimer's.
- Its exact evolution and true incidence are unknown.
- It usually occurs in the form of sprouts.
0.62% of people with psychiatric disorders may suffer from Cotard's Syndrome. In the elderly, the prevalence of this syndrome is 0.57%, according to data provided by psonrie. It has been shown that it can affect people of any age.
If you identify with the characteristics described above, perhaps it is time to put yourself in the hands of an online psychologist.
Try a free session
Take care of your mental health with the professional help of a psychologist.
Make an appointment
Real cases told by a doctor
He psychiatrist Mexican Jesús Ramírez, a member of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico and a researcher on this syndrome, told BBC Mundo about some of the cases suffered by his patients.
«I have lost my hands and I have been bewitched,» said an 18-year-old girl. «My heart stopped working, and my liver and stomach are getting sick. I can't feel the inside of my body,» a woman told Ramirez. «I don't want to be treated, I'm already dead,» a 78-year-old man confessed before being hospitalized.
These people suffer a lot, and the level of incomprehension to which they are subjected is very high, since it is very difficult for citizens to understand this type of behavior.
Treatment of nihilistic syndrome
- Use of drugsespecially antidepressants and antipsychotics or neuroleptics. Also mood stabilizers.
- The sessions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have an 80% success rate among patients.
- In some cases, recourse is made to hospitalization as the best option until the patient is stabilized.
- The figure of the psychiatrist and of the psychologist are key in this type of disorder, since the therapy offered by a specialist becomes essential. That is why, at we can help you. If you suffer from any mental health problem, do not hesitate to contact us. Our professionals will be in charge of helping you in this difficult process.
We have been helping patients from all over the world find their well-being since 2012. We were pioneers in offering online therapy and that is why we know that it is an economical, but equally effective, alternative to traditional therapies.
To date, more than 1,600 people have turned to us to find an online psychologist. If you also want to try our services, you can request a consultation First briefing free by clicking the button below.