You’ve probably heard it said that “someone is delusional,” but what is this really? Is there some type of delusional disorder? If you are delirious, does that mean you have a disorder? Furthermore, it is quite common to think that in the last moments of life it is normal to end up delirious and you may even believe that it is one of the only moments in which a person can have a delirium. Having a delirium is something much broader and, depending on the type of delirium, you may suffer from one disorder or another, or even, if it is something specific, it is not necessarily a psychological disorder.
In any case, it is important to understand what a delusion is, therefore, in Psychology-Online we are going to talk about what delusional disorders and delusional ideas are and, specifically, What does nihilistic or denial delusion consist of?also known as Cotard Syndrome since it is a disorder that is based on certain delusional ideas, which is why it serves as an example when it comes to showing to what extent a delusion can dominate a person’s life.
What is a delirium
A delirium or delusional idea It is a person’s conviction that something is one way, despite evidence showing otherwise. A delusion or delusional idea is a idea that is not real, but it is perceived as such. Normally, it is a symptom of some mental disorder, such as , although it can be a problem in isolation.
What is delusional disorder
Delusional disorder was formerly known as paranoia. And, as it is known in its most colloquial use, when telling someone that “they are paranoid” it is a person who has a specific delusion about some aspect of his life. These people can have a fairly functional life, except for those behaviors they perform in order to demonstrate that the content of their delusion is real. However, over time, these attempts at demonstration end up covering more parts of their life, which ends up harming the person’s social and professional levels.
Some delusional disorders are the or the . The first would consist of the idea that a person is in love with the patient who suffers from delirium. The second deals with the person’s conviction that their partner is being unfaithful.
Definition of nihilistic delusion or Cotard syndrome
In nihilistic delusion, also called delirium of denial, Cotard syndrome or denial syndrome, the person who suffers from it denies the existence of parts of his body, of its existence or of the existence of the world. In some cases the person believes they cannot die naturally, as was the case of the patient in whom the disorder was discovered. She believed that her body was made up exclusively of skin and bones, and she believed she did not need nutrition. She died of hunger as she refused to eat. In other cases, the person believes they are dead (and therefore, unable to die) and are in a state of putrefaction.
Causes and consequences of nihilistic delirium
This nihilistic delusion or Cotard syndrome can arise purely psychologically or as a result of brain deterioration or damage. People with schizophrenia, psychotic depression, Parkinson’s disease or other cerebrovascular damage can cause it, although it usually does not occur.
In any case, the reasons why a person can develop this disorder are not clear, although researchers lean towards a combination of Psychological trastorn with brain damage. On some occasions, its appearance has been related to the ingestion of psychoactive substances. The comorbidity of this disorder with other types of psychiatric disorders such as depersonalization is quite common. In addition, it is common for various symptoms of depression, anxiety or feelings of guilt to appear.
This syndrome can lead the person to commit extreme acts in order to prevent its state of decomposition or its death.
- An example of a real nihilistic delusion of a person who has suffered from this disease is Richard Case, a serial killer who ate raw animals as he believed it was what allowed his heart to continue beating. On other occasions, the person mutilated parts of the body because of the belief that he was already dead. In the most serious cases, the person can end his own life.
Treatment of nihilistic delusion
In order to treat the disease, first of all, if there is another underlying disorder like Parkinson’s, the treatment of the disorder that may have caused the disease would first be carried out. After this, a psychological therapy in which the person would be helped to distinguish delusions from more realistic thoughts. In the same way, since those who suffer from the disorder usually withdraw from interpersonal relationships, the patient’s approach to those relationships that have been fading would also be worked on. However, it is not clear that this is the most appropriate way to treat the disorder and in general there is no good prognosis. In addition, the disease is also addressed with antipsychotics and antidepressants in order to minimize delusions.
Another type of treatment that has been applied in various patients is , giving good results. However, this type of treatment can lead to other types of problems such as memory loss given its aggressiveness. This therapy has an 80 percent success rate and involves sending small electrical signals to the brain in order to change its neurochemistry.
In general, there are few studies about this disease and, furthermore, its infrequency means that this small number of investigations are based on only one or a few cases, which prevents carrying out more relevant research. Furthermore, due to this infrequency, diagnosis is often late, which makes it difficult to approach and worsens the prognosis.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Berrios, GE, and Luque, R. (1995). Cotard’s syndrome: Analysis of 100 cases. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 91(3), 185-188.
- Capponi M., R. (2011). Psychopathology and psychiatric semiology. University, 12th. ed., p. 111.
- Muñoz, EC, and Alzate, BG (2009). Cotard syndrome: presentation of a case. Colombian Journal of Psychiatry, 38(1), 194-202.
- Sergio, VR, and Díaz, P. (2020). Cotard Syndrome and Catatonia: A Case Report. Chilean Journal of Neuro-Psychiatry, 58(1), 66-73.