The Cotard delusion (CD) is characterized by nihilistic beliefs about the body’s existence or life itself. In a case study, psychologists found that a patient  believed that he was physically dead and possessed by demons for several weeks. This delusion was reinforced by his religious belief that life was an attribute of God, and by inference, he as a human, was dead. However, his condition gradually improved over the course of treatment with Divalproex and quetiapine with discussions about the rationale for his belief. 

Scripps College

Given the prevalence rate for Cotard Syndrom, recent psychologists have examined the presentation, symptomatology, and comorbidity of the delusion disorder. 

Presentation of Cotard Syndrome

Bott, N., Keller, C., Kuppuswamy, M., Spelber, D., & Zeier, J. (2016). Cotard delusion in the context of schizophrenia: A case report and review of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.

Relationship to Schizophrenia and Symptomatology

When investigating Cotard Syndrome, psychiatrists have stated that the delusion “I am dead” comes to mind when a neuropathological condition has resulted in complete abolition of emotional responsivity to the world; however, despite this initial conclusion, research shows that patients with Cotard delusion are described as experiencing emotions including anxiety, fear, guilt, distress, euphoria and worry. Thus, the complete absence of emotional responsivity cannot be what prompts the delusional idea that one is dead. 


Emotional Experiences of Patients with Cotard Syndrome

The initial cause of Cotard delusion is pervasive dyshomeostasis (dysregulation of basic bodily function). Given this assumption/conclusion, some researchers argue that depersonalisation experience associated with Cotard Syndrome are produced by different breakdowns in the process of self‐modelling.

Bodily and Affective Experiences 

Since an individual with Cotard delusion experiences nihilistic delusions concerning existence, researchers conducted a literature review and found that, despite its challenging diagnosis, there is readily available care (ie psychopathology, electroconvulsive therapy) that reduce the severity of symptoms.

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