Known as cotard syndrome, or “The Living Dead Syndrome”, this is a very rare mental illness that causes a feeling of death. Check now for more details about this condition.
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Record of Cotard's first case
Although considered rare, Cotard's syndrome has been the subject of several scientific studies over the years. The first known case, dating from 1880, was of a patient who believed he had no more organs, just skin and bones. With that, he thought he no longer needed to eat and kept losing weight until he actually died.
In scientific articles on the disorder, a significant proportion of patients have a history of antidepressant use and report feelings of hopelessness, low energy and loss of appetite.
In 2013, the New Scientist portal published an interview with a patient who, after electrocuting himself in the shower, became convinced that he no longer had a brain and attempted suicide. The patient reported that he lost his sense of smell and taste at the time.
An important point that the scientists noticed in the study based on imaging tests is that the brain activity of people with Cotard syndrome has many similarities with that of a vegetative person. Therefore, the researchers' theory is that these changes are responsible for the feeling of death.
Main symptoms of Cotard syndrome
Some symptoms that help identify this disease are:
- The feeling that comes from thinking you are dead;
- Show anxiety routinely;
- Feeling that the body's organs are corroding;
- Social isolation;
- Feeling that he is already lifeless and that they cannot kill him;
- Become a negative person;
- Having insensitivity to pain;
- Suffer from many hallucinations;
- Possibility of becoming suicidal.
In addition to these signs, people with this syndrome may also report that they smell rotten meat coming out of their bodies because they think their organs are rotting away. In some cases, patients may also not be able to recognize themselves in the mirror or even not recognize family members and friends.