Content
Cotard's syndrome, popularly known as "walking corpse syndrome", is a very rare psychological disorder in which a person believes that he is dead, that parts of his body have disappeared or that his organs are rotting. For this reason, this syndrome represents a high risk of self-harm or suicide.
The causes of Cotard's syndrome are not exactly known, but the syndrome tends to be associated with other psychological disorders, such as personality changes, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and cases of prolonged depression.
Although this syndrome has no cure, treatment must be done to decrease psychological changes and improve the person's quality of life. Thus, the treatment must be individualized and indicated by the psychiatrist.
Main symptoms
Some symptoms that help to identify this disorder are:
- Believing that you are dead;
- Show anxiety frequently;
- Having a feeling that the organs of the body are rotting;
- To feel that you cannot die, because you have already died;
- Get away from the group of friends and family;
- Being a very negative person;
- Have insensitivity to pain;
- Suffer constant hallucinations;
- Have a suicidal tendency.
In addition to these signs, those who suffer from this syndrome may also report that they smell the rotten meat coming out of their body, due to the idea that their organs are rotting. In some cases, patients may also not recognize themselves in the mirror, nor can they identify family or friends, for example.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of Cotard's syndrome can vary greatly from one person to the next, as it is usually necessary to treat the psychological problem that underlies the onset of the syndrome's symptoms.
However, in most cases, the treatment involves making sessions of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, in addition to using some medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants and / or anxiolytics. It is also very important that the person is monitored regularly, due to the risk of self-harm and suicide.
In the most severe cases, such as psychotic depression or melancholy, it may also be recommended by the doctor to conduct sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, which consists of applying electric shocks to the brain to stimulate certain regions and more easily control the symptoms of the syndrome. After these sessions, treatment with medication and psychotherapy is usually done.