Cotard’s Syndrome: Symptoms And Causes

We often hear people use the term “death on the inside” to describe someone who has lost hope and motivation to continue living. Of course, this is just an expression, and it certainly does not mean that the person is actually dead. Yet there is a terrible mental disorder called Cotard’s syndrome, which in a sense makes this expression true.

Cotard’s syndrome is also known as “nihilistic delusion”. Most people who suffer from it think they are dead or about to rot. 

Cotard’s syndrome

Cotard’s syndrome is a mental disorder in which the affected person perceives himself as non-existent. They may think they are living outside of reality or simply dead.

When someone who suffers from Cotard’s delusions looks at themselves, they think, as mentioned, that they are dead. They may even think that their body is about to break down.

A person suffering from Cotard’s syndrome believes that their mind and body are on completely different planes of existence. While the person’s body breaks down, their minds exist in an alternative reality and live a life of their own. These beliefs can lead to irregular and strange behavior.

Jules Cotard and Cotard’s syndrome

Jules Cotard first described Cotard’s delusions in the 19th century. One of his patients was a woman who thought she was stuck halfway between heaven and hell. Because of this, she felt that earthly needs, such as eating and sleeping, were not important at all.

Cotard’s syndrome is very complicated. Psychologists do not know why it manifests, but they believe it is related to brain function. In particular, it is related to the way the brain processes information. Some experts believe that there is a gap between the areas of the brain that deal with facial recognition (fusiform gyrus) and the areas associated with emotional therapy (the amygdala and the limbic system).

Thus, the people suffering from this disorder are able to process the information they receive from their environment properly. The problem, however, is that the emotional responses that this information causes do not make sense to them.

The negation of existence is one of the most prominent symptoms of this delusion. Other possible symptoms are hallucinations, anxiety, depression, delirium and inability to relate to others. The affected person may think they are immortal or have no blood. The afflicted person may also feel that they have worms under their skin and that their body is breaking down.

People who are separated from reality

A person suffering from Cotard’s syndrome lives in a different reality. Another main feature of this condition is that the mind of the affected person distorts almost all thoughts. This applies to both information about themselves and their environment. Because of this, a person with Cotard’s syndrome may decide to stop eating or drinking.

The disturbance causes them to live in limbo. It is a place located between the elevated existential plane of the mind and the empty, alien corpse that is the person’s body. Of course, this can vary from person to person, as people can have this disorder of varying severity.

As you can see, this condition can have serious consequences because a person who suffers from it stops worrying about their well-being. As such, experts recommend that you see a specialist immediately if you have this disorder.