Man believed he was a zombie turned into a dog
Published: 2013 February 16 11:54:00 (3273 Views)
Cotard's Syndrome is an exceedingly rare psychological disorder where people believe they are effectively dead.
In some cases, this amounts to the belief that they are essentially zombies, existing in rotting bodies.
Others are convinced that they have left the living world and are now experiencing the afterlife.
Patients with Cotard's Syndrome engage in self-neglect and risky behaviors because in their mind, safe behavior is also often unnecessary.
A 32-year old man from Iran was admitted into a mental institution with the belief that not only was he dead, but that he was also a dog. To date, this is the only known case of a patient displaying symptoms of both Cotard's Delusion and Lycanthropy at the same time.
He reasoned that he was being ignored by his loved ones because he was dead.
He also suspected that his friends and family had been trying to poison him with cyanide but that he was protected from any ill effects by God.
He was convinced that his wife and children were also dead.
He believed that God was punishing him for his sins. The most notable sin being his involvement in a sexual relationship with a sheep as a teenager.
This guilt was most obvious in the patient's belief that his daughters had been turned into sheep (as evidenced by the smell of their urine). Uncontrolled movements in his face led him to the assumption that he and his wife had been transformed into dogs upon their deaths.
He responded exceeding well to treatment- in this case electroshock therapy-and was delusion free within two months.
In later conversation, he associated the image of a dog with a protector of sheep. This provides some insight into his delusions.
In 2007 children concerned over their mother's insistence that she was dead and smelled like rotting meat, were forced to seek emergency help.
The 53 year old woman reportedly put up quite a struggle. At first she insisted that she be taken to the morgue to be with her own kind. Later she became accusing of the workers and insisted that they were trying to burn down her house.
She believed that she literally was a walking decaying corpse and refused food and experienced great depression over the perceived loss of her own life. She also refused liquid and medication.
Within a few days her physical health became jeopardized by complications related to dehydration. At the urging of her physician, the children successfully sued to force medical treatment even though their mother refused.
The woman responded well to medication and left the psychiatric hospital after 30 days with no obvious delusions.
During the sixth month of her pregnancy, one 28 year-old patient went to her physician claiming that her heart and stomach were missing and that her liver was rotting.
When faced with these fantastic claims, the doctor not only neglected to make the obvious referral to psychiatric treatment and treated her claims of missing anatomy with a multivitamin.
The patient sought out another doctor after six weeks had passed with -somewhat predictably-no change. This physician took her claims more seriously and ordered exploratory surgery and ultrasounds to verify her claims of a missing abdomen and heart.
After the tests showed nothing-or maybe showed something would be more correct-this physician added an antibiotic to the multivitamins.
Two weeks later, when the advice of the two previous paragons of medical observation still had produced no regrowth of her missing anatomy or cure for her rotting liver, the lady went to see a faith healer.
The advice given by the faith healer ultimately led to her to seek psychological help.
Patient S was eventually diagnosed with sever major depressive disorder resulting in nihilistic delusions. After some initial issues with proper medication during pregnancy, she also responded well to treatment. Her delusions had disappeared by the time her infant was born.
- hubpages
In some cases, this amounts to the belief that they are essentially zombies, existing in rotting bodies.
Others are convinced that they have left the living world and are now experiencing the afterlife.
Patients with Cotard's Syndrome engage in self-neglect and risky behaviors because in their mind, safe behavior is also often unnecessary.
A 32-year old man from Iran was admitted into a mental institution with the belief that not only was he dead, but that he was also a dog. To date, this is the only known case of a patient displaying symptoms of both Cotard's Delusion and Lycanthropy at the same time.
He reasoned that he was being ignored by his loved ones because he was dead.
He also suspected that his friends and family had been trying to poison him with cyanide but that he was protected from any ill effects by God.
He was convinced that his wife and children were also dead.
He believed that God was punishing him for his sins. The most notable sin being his involvement in a sexual relationship with a sheep as a teenager.
This guilt was most obvious in the patient's belief that his daughters had been turned into sheep (as evidenced by the smell of their urine). Uncontrolled movements in his face led him to the assumption that he and his wife had been transformed into dogs upon their deaths.
He responded exceeding well to treatment- in this case electroshock therapy-and was delusion free within two months.
In later conversation, he associated the image of a dog with a protector of sheep. This provides some insight into his delusions.
In 2007 children concerned over their mother's insistence that she was dead and smelled like rotting meat, were forced to seek emergency help.
The 53 year old woman reportedly put up quite a struggle. At first she insisted that she be taken to the morgue to be with her own kind. Later she became accusing of the workers and insisted that they were trying to burn down her house.
She believed that she literally was a walking decaying corpse and refused food and experienced great depression over the perceived loss of her own life. She also refused liquid and medication.
Within a few days her physical health became jeopardized by complications related to dehydration. At the urging of her physician, the children successfully sued to force medical treatment even though their mother refused.
The woman responded well to medication and left the psychiatric hospital after 30 days with no obvious delusions.
During the sixth month of her pregnancy, one 28 year-old patient went to her physician claiming that her heart and stomach were missing and that her liver was rotting.
When faced with these fantastic claims, the doctor not only neglected to make the obvious referral to psychiatric treatment and treated her claims of missing anatomy with a multivitamin.
The patient sought out another doctor after six weeks had passed with -somewhat predictably-no change. This physician took her claims more seriously and ordered exploratory surgery and ultrasounds to verify her claims of a missing abdomen and heart.
After the tests showed nothing-or maybe showed something would be more correct-this physician added an antibiotic to the multivitamins.
Two weeks later, when the advice of the two previous paragons of medical observation still had produced no regrowth of her missing anatomy or cure for her rotting liver, the lady went to see a faith healer.
The advice given by the faith healer ultimately led to her to seek psychological help.
Patient S was eventually diagnosed with sever major depressive disorder resulting in nihilistic delusions. After some initial issues with proper medication during pregnancy, she also responded well to treatment. Her delusions had disappeared by the time her infant was born.
- hubpages
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