The Walking Corpse Syndrome (Cotard)
Have you ever died before? This silly question is pretty serious to Cotard syndrome patients. For them, life is pretty hard: they die constantly, have their organs removed, watch their flesh rot and sometimes they end up in heaven or hell. And no, I’m not talking about the Walking Dead.
Apparently, the Walking Corpse Syndrome occurs after suffering a head trauma and schizophrenia, although it may also happen with no apparent reason. As example, there’s the story of a man who died, but actually didn’t die, in a motorcycle accident. He ran away from the hospital convinced that he died from AIDS, but luckily his family found him. After a while, when he went to a trip in Africa, he suddenly realized that he was in hell (Supernatural much?).
SYMPTOMS: Stage I: a big depression with no apparent reason.
Stage II: denial. At this point, if you tell the patient that he’s actually alive and healthy, either he will start crying or punch you in the face because, well, his leg is missing or something.
Stage III: acceptance. Once in stage III, the patient realizes his condition. Not that he has a mental illness, of course, but that his soul is in hell, his kidneys are missing or his skin rots.
How is it possible that you really think you no longer have a hand when you use it all the time? That’s yet another mystery of the human brain..
