Can you imagine living being sure that you are dead or, conversely, believing that you are immortal? What do you think you would think if you were one hundred percent sure that your organs have stopped working? Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is not so much for those people who suffer from Cotard syndrome. They come to feel that everything around them is not true, having the certainty inside that they are truly dead.
In Psychology-Online we want to introduce you to this rare and unknown disorder which affects 1% of the world's population and about which so little is known. In this article you will find what is heCotard syndrome, its symptoms, causes and treatment.
Index
- What is Cotard syndrome in psychology
- Cotard syndrome: symptoms
- Cotard syndrome: causes
- Cotard syndrome: treatment
What is Cotard syndrome in psychology.
The Cotard syndrome is known by specialists as delusion of denial or non-existence. Patients tend to deny everything that surrounds them, even denying their own existence, as well as that of the world itself.
It was Jules Cotard in 1880 who first described a case with these characteristics. This neurologist had to attend to a woman who claimed that she did not have various parts of her body and that, because of this, she was immortal, since she could not die by natural death.
Depending on the intensity of the syndrome, the level of denial on the part of the patient will have different values and interpretations on their part. This can appear in the patient either partially or completely, later we will see the wide spectrum of which it is composed.
Cotard syndrome: symptoms.
The symptomatological presentation of this syndrome is highly variable, as indicated by Muñoz (2009). Well, the degree of severity in which it can be expressed differs in each of the patients.
What Fundamental symptom of Cotard syndrome we find the delusion of denial, this can simply go from the belief in intellectual losses by the patient, until denial of their own existence, going through the conviction that his organs are dying or, on the contrary, that he does not have any organs.
As Muñoz (2009) pointed out, it has been seen that the disease appears suddenly, that is, it is not related to have a certain prior psychiatric condition, but it has been seen that its onset is associated with a phase of anxiety and irritability. In addition, if the syndrome has an intermediate severity, patients usually express on the one hand depressive feelings and, on the other, the sensation of the loss of his reasoning abilities.
When it is a complete delirium, the patient has a level of denial of reality that may even make you wish you didn't exist. Usually, the complete Cotard syndrome begins with the denial by the patient of a part of his body, characterizing itself among other vital organs.
On the other hand, we find what is known as accessory symptoms, the most frequent being analgesia (inability to feel pain), mutism (voluntary silence on the part of the patient), self-mutilation, suicidal ideas, and even hallucinations.
Cotard syndrome: causes.
What are the causes of Cotard syndrome? After studying multiple Real cases Practical studies such as those carried out by Berrios (1995), it was possible to observe how those people affected by Cotard's syndrome tended to have certain manic-depressive conditions. These ailments tend to lead to either internalized attribution styles, where the person considers that the cause of his problems is himself and that for that reason he has no way to solve it, or also in a depersonalization associated, the patient believing that he is separated from her own body, that he is only a mere spectator of her life.
However, according to authors such as Ramirez (2010) the existence of a neurological problem it can lead to the development of Cotard's syndrome. Some of the diseases that could be the evocative of this syndrome are: Parkinson's, recurrent migraines, brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries and multiple sclerosis.
Cotard syndrome: treatment.
The Cotard syndrome treatment It depends both on the level of severity and on the causes that have led to its appearance. However, all treatments have one point in common: it must be a specialist who evaluates and dictates the appropriate treatment for each of the patients.
In those cases where patients have affective disorders, it is recommended to use antidepressants since its effectiveness has been proven in various studies, such as the one carried out by Huarcaya (2018). However, it must be pointed out that, in some cases where the affective symptoms are produced in an intense way, the use of mood stabilizers.
Although the syndrome has been evoked in an underlying way by an organic entity, the most effective treatment will be the one that is destined to counteract the condition that has caused it. For example, if the patient has Parkinson's disease and this has given rise to Cotard's syndrome, the appropriate pharmacology is one that will combat the symptoms of Parkinson's.
It has also been proven that, despite the worse prognosis that this disease has when it is associated with a chronic schizophrenic disease, the use of antipsychotic medication you can get a good response from the patient.
Due to the severity in which this syndrome can derive, that is, the possibility of the patient self-harm, it is not surprising that the professional evaluating the patient recommend temporary hospitalization in order, in this way, to be able avoid self-injurious behaviors at the same time that a close observation of their behavior is carried out.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Cotard syndrome: symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
References
Bibliography
- Berrios, G. E., & Luque, R. (1995). Cotard's syndrome: analysis of 100 cases. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 91(3), 185-188.
- EL PAÍS, S. D. TO. AND. PSYCHIATRIC SYNDROMES. SYNDROMES, 528
- Huarcaya-Victoria, J., & Podestá-Ampuero, A. (2018). Cotard syndrome, catatonia and depression: a case report. Journal of Neuro-Psychiatry, 81(2), 135-140.
- Muñoz, E. C., & Alzate, B. G. (2009). Cotard syndrome: presentation of a case. Colombian Journal of Psychiatry, 38(1), 194-202.
- Ramirez-Bermudez, J., Aguilar-Venegas, L. C., Crail-Melendez, D., Espinola-Nadurille, M., Nente, F., & Mendez, M. F. (2010). Cotard syndrome in neurological and psychiatric patients. The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 22(4), 409-416
