My Body Is Rotting: A case report of Cotard’s syndrome in a postpartum woman

Kaja Hanna Karakuła,Dariusz Juchnowicz,Karol Krupa,Małgorzata Futyma-Jędrzejewska,Małgorzata Romaniuk

doi:10.2478/cpp-2020-0010

Kaja Hanna Karakuła, Dariusz Juchnowicz + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2478/cpp-2020-0010

Copy DOI

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Cotard’s syndrome (CS) is a rare set of psychopathological symptoms, the main symptom of which is nihilistic delusions concerning the negation of the existence of internal organs or the entire body Aim, material and methodology: The aim of the study is to present a case of a patient treated for postpartum depression who developed Cotard’s syndrome. The patient’s symptoms began immediately after her daughter. The clinical picture was dominated by anxiety and apathy, nihilistic delusions about the atrophy of the urethra and other lower abdominal organs, and olfactory hallucinations - she could smell rot. Discussion: The available literature on Cotard’s Syndrome does not allow us to indicate a certain reason for its development. Perhaps the birth of the first child - the woman doubted herself as a mother, she was afraid that she would hurt the cause of the disorders observed and described by us was transient ischemia of the CNS during delivery. Conclusions: Cotard’s syndrome can develop in the course of many mental and somatoform disorders. The described case is, to our knowledge, the first description of Cotard’s Syndrome in the deprivation period. Difficulties in establishing the etiopathogenesis and pathophysiology of Cotard’s Syndrome translate into therapeutic problems. It has been suggested that the treatment of the underlying disorder on the basis of which CS is developed remains the most effective method of therapy.

Highlights

Cotard's syndrome (CS) is a rare set of psychopathological symptoms, the main symptom of which is nihilistic delusions concerning the negation of the existence of internal organs or the entire body Aim, material and methodology: The aim of the study is to present a case of a patient treated for postpartum depression who developed Cotard's syndrome
Cotard's syndrome has been described in the course of depressive episodes, but has been observed in patients suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, brain stroke, multiple sclerosis, frontal lobe disorder, cerebral atrophy, AIDS, dementia, Parkinson's disease [2,6], in Capgras or Fregoli syndrome [7]
Cotard's syndrome is a rare complex of psychopathological symptoms, of which the most characteristic are nihilistic delusions [1,2]

Summary

Introduction

Cotard's syndrome (CS) is a rare set of psychopathological symptoms, the main symptom of which is nihilistic delusions concerning the negation of the existence of internal organs or the entire body Aim, material and methodology: The aim of the study is to present a case of a patient treated for postpartum depression who developed Cotard's syndrome. Cotard's syndrome, known as Cotard's delusion, named after the author of the first detailed case study – French neurologist Jules Cotard, is characterised by nihilistic delusions about the sense of loss of properly functioning organs, sometimes denying the existence of the person as such and insisting that one is dead. It can be accompanied by strong anxiety, melancholy, reduced pain threshold, as well as suicidal behaviours and self-harm [1,2]. The aim of the study was to present a case report of a 21-year-old woman who developed Cotard's syndrome during the postpartum period

Objectives

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion