Jules Cotard: A Case Study

Named after the French neurologist Jules Cotard, who first described the delusion in the late 1800s. Cotard delusion is symptom that can occur with psychosis, though it can also occur on its own or alongside depression. Researchers who study Bioethics describe Cotard Delusion as a person with who believes they are deceased, rotting, unreal, or missing some or all internal organs. (Symons, 2016) People who experience this delusion typically experience feelings of unreality, hatred of oneself, and overall despair. The person may experience sensory delusions, like believing they can smell their rotting flesh. Even if they are provided logical arguments or proof of being alive will not cure the person of their delusion. For instance, in a case study, by the National Institute of
During an ECG, he affirmed that he had no heart. He did not want to hear its beat with the use of stethoscope, because he was convinced that his heart had been taken out by the same emergency room doctor” (Ramirez- Bermundez et al., 2010, p.4). According to the National Institute of Neurology of Mexico, Officials say what could be the cause of these symptoms is, “[the] imbalance of right-left anterior cingulate cortex, which can lead to lack or excess of feelings of familiarity for a perception.” Which explains how a person with cotard delusion sees their own face and does not feel any familiarity or emotional attachment to their own self, and because of this disconnection they are faced with , they cause themselves to believe that they must be deceased or unreal. For some the condition is caused primarily by neurological factors, for others it mostly involves psychological factors. Depending on the patients’ diagnosis along with cotard delusion, treatments can vary from antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy, and talk