There are many rare mental disorders in the world. Cotard's Syndrome or Walking Corpse syndrome is one of them. Cotord's Syndrome is when a person thinks that they have died, lost their soul, or lost a vital organ, when in fact they have lost nothing. They may even think they do not have blood.
This disorder has been linked to many other disorders including Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Other than mental illness this disorder can come about when there is a problem with the persons brain, such as an injury. Some people with this disorder may feel immortal. Although this feeling is very rare among those that have Cotord's Syndrome. They may test their own mortality by attempting suicide. So you can see that this disorder is very dangerous to the person who has it.
This disorder was named after Jules Cotard, a French neurologist. He first discovered this disorder as well as had a patient with it. He explained in a lecture that she did not believe in god or the devil and did not believe she had certain body parts. She also didn't think that she had to eat. There are a few other cases that are documented throughout history, this one being in the 1800's. There are a few cases more recently, such as the one in 1994. A man thought that he did not have a stomach, thus he was starving himself. There are even more recent cases in the 2000's.
Since this disorder is so rare the right treatments for it are unknown. Many psychiatrists have tried antipsychotic therapy, but this does not seem to work. There have been four cases however that have been helped using electroconvulsive therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy is when electrodes are attached to the top of a person’s head and electricity is administered to the brain, to cause a seizure. This is also used in very severe cases of depression.
As you can see there is still much to be learned from this disorder. Since Walking Corpse Syndrome is so rare psychologists and psychiatrists know little about it. Further research in this area can better determine if the therapy used today is the most effective treatment available. Although Electroconvulsive therapy seems to help it can also damage patients. This kind of treatment leads to memory loss in some cases severe memory loss. Although rare this strange disorder is very real to those who have it.
Symptoms of this mental disorder vary between individuals, but share the common trait of being bizarre. Sometimes, patients think they have died or lost their soul; other patients deny the existence of their body parts, from limbs to organs inside the body. Some patients think that they do not have blood.
The inability to recognize the body is an extremely dangerous condition, as no care will be given to it.
According to an article on www.associatedcontent.com, one patient starved himself because he did not think he had a stomach. The original patient studied by Cotard started to think she did not have to eat, and believed she could never die naturally. Another article on www.healthdoc.info, describes a case in which another patient, in 1996, thought he died of either AIDS, yellow fever, or septicemia, a disease where pathogens are present in the blood stream. In addition, he thought his soul was taking a trip in hell, while his physical body was asleep elsewhere.
People are not born with disease, but rather acquire it through some mental illness or physical injury. Different parts of the brain control the way a person perceives the world, and when these parts are injured, perception can be altered. Walking Corpse Syndrome is thought to be related to depression, schizophrenia, and derealization, a condition in which the world, or one’s self, feels unreal.
Head trauma, like in a case in which a motorcycle accident caused this disorder, can be the cause of an altered perception as well. Cortard’s Syndrome is also believed to be related to Capgras Syndrome, a disorder that causes one to believe a person, usually a family member or close friend, has been replaced by an impostor.
According to www.psychnet-uk.com, Capgras Syndrome results when the brain does not consciously recognize faces. Similarly, Cortard’s Syndrome may result when a person sees his own face or body but is unable to recognize it as himself. Therefore, the brain perceives the individual as someone else, resulting in a belief that the true self is nonexistent.
This disorder presents itself subconsciously — just as we know we are alive and recognize ourselves, people who suffer from this syndrome act as if they truly believe their body does not exist.
Because of the rarity of the disorder, effective treatment is not known.
Antidepressant drugs do not seem to have much effect on individuals with the disorder. However, electroconvulsive therapy has been shown to be effective in certain cases, curing patients of the disorder.
Electroconvulsive therapy involves inducing a seizure in a certain area of the brain, causing a person to lose consciousness and convulse for 15 seconds.
The mechanisms of electroconvulsive therapy are still not known, but it has shown to be effective for treating many mental illnesses, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
This disease is still mostly unheard of and not well-understood; treatments are still largely experimental.
However, for the select few who are affected by this disorder, what is known will help them live a normal life.
BY OPEOLUWA ADETOLA
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