Abstract

COTARD SYNDROME; A DEAD MAN’S TALE – CASE REPORT

Divine Varghese* and Achsa Thomas

Abstract

Cotard syndrome is a queer mental illness where the subject has delusional assumptions such that, they are dead, or have lost their limbs or internal organs or are imperishable. The patient ultimately suffers from nihilistic delusions that they no longer exist. Though the syndrome was first recognized in the 17th century, it is neither classified under DSM-IV-TR nor ICD-10. One of the main consequences of this syndrome is self-starvation, refusal to consume medication and negligence to counseling. Though Cotard syndrome have been reported in association with many other affective disorders, it is less often found in patients with catatonia. In this article we are studying a 45-year-old patient, adamant about being dead and claiming that his abdomen was rotting.

Keywords: Queer, Nihilistic delusions, Self-starvation, Cotard syndrome (CS), Affective disorders, Catatonia.