In practice, the subject affected by Cotard's syndrome no longer perceives any type of emotional stimulus and his conscience explains this phenomenon by convincing himself that he is no longer alive or that he has lost all the internal organs responsible for this purpose.
Cotard's syndrome can be addressed with a long-term drug therapy which, together with psychotherapy, allows to manage the symptoms of the disease. In severe cases, the doctor may indicate the use of electroconvulsive therapy.
. In most cases, the subject appears to exhibit this dysfunction as a result of head trauma, brain tumors, severe mental impairment, and dementia.
With diagnostic imaging methods, such as CT, it has been shown that the brain function of patients with Cotard syndrome is comparable to that of a person during anesthesia or sleep. Furthermore, the area between the frontal and parietal lobes have similarities with that of patients in a vegetative coma.
In any case, nothing manages to have any emotional relevance for the patient, to the point that the only way to rationally explain this total absence of emotions is to believe that he is dead.
Although Cotard's syndrome is not reported in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses), those who suffer from it present some symptoms typical of specific psychiatric pathologies, such as depressive states, anxiety, depersonalization and derealization.
The syndromic picture is very serious and medical intervention must be timely: Cotard's syndrome alters the patient's sense of identity in an extreme way, leading to death by suicide or refusal of food.
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