Cotard Delusion
Cotard delusion is a rare syndrome. Sufferers believe that they have incomplete body parts. This delusion is prone to be experienced by people with mental health disorders and neurological problems (brain and nervous system).
Cotard Delusion Symptoms
Symptoms can affect the psychological and physical condition of the sufferer. The symptoms that appear include:
- Depression.
- Hallucinations.
- Anxiety.
- Feeling guilty.
- Feeling dead.
- Feeling worthless.
- Feeling nothing.
- Often hurt yourself.
- Feeling like a part of his body was missing.
- Hypochondria (a mental health disorder characterized by an excessive psychological reaction to illness).
Causes of Cotard Delusion
It is not yet known what causes Cotard’s delusion. However, this condition is part of a disorder that affects the brain, such as:
- Dementia (a disease that causes a decline in a person’s memory and way of thinking).
- Encephalopathy (a disease that affects the structure or function of the brain).
- Epilepsy (a disorder of the central nervous system due to excessive patterns of electrical activity in the brain).
- Migraine (pain on one side of the head accompanied by a throbbing sensation).
- Multiple sclerosis (a group of disorders that affect the nerves of the brain, eyes, and spine).
- Parkinson’s disease (a disorder of the nervous system that interferes with the body’s ability to control movement and balance).
- Bleeding that occurs outside the brain due to severe brain injury.
Experts believe that Cotard’s delusion is caused by two types of brain damage. First, the disorder changes the way people see themselves. Second, the disorder causes sufferers to believe false views about themselves.
Factors for Cotard Delusion
Factors that increase the risk of Cotard delusion include:
- Over 50 years old.
- Under 25 years of age with depression or bipolar disorder.
- Female gender.
- Experiencing postpartum depression.
- Suffering from schizophrenia (a chronic mental disorder in which a person experiences hallucinations, delusions, confusion in thinking, and changes in attitude).
Cotard Delusion Diagnosis
First, the doctor will conduct a detailed medical interview. This examination is followed by a direct physical test to evaluate the possibility of someone experiencing Cotard’s delusion.
Cotard Delusion Treatment
The steps that can be taken to overcome the problem include:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The doctor will identify what causes the emergence of negative thought patterns and behaviors in sufferers. Then, sufferers are taught to respond to triggers by doing more positive and rational activities.
2. Medicines
Medications are useful to help relieve symptoms. Some types of drugs given include antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs. In severe cases, doctors will prescribe more than one type of drug.
3. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
If the previous two steps are not effective in helping to relieve symptoms, electroconvulsive therapy may be recommended. This therapy uses a small electric current that will be passed into the brain.
Therapy aims to change the chemistry in the brain. That way, the symptoms that appear can be treated immediately. Some sufferers may experience memory loss after ECT therapy.
Complications of Cotard Delusion
Because they are too busy with the delusions in their minds, sufferers can start to stop taking care of themselves. Because they feel like they are dead. This can make sufferers shunned by their surroundings and cause depression and a sense of isolation from the social circle.
Another complication is stopping eating and drinking. This happens because sufferers believe that their bodies do not need nutrition. As a result, they can experience malnutrition which triggers weight loss, fatigue ,and feeling cold.
Prevention of Cotard Delusion
There is no effective prevention method yet because the cause is not yet known for certain. In other words, there is no way to prevent this condition from occurring.
