The Walking Dead Syndrome
- Sanya Samant
- May 30, 2019
- 2 min read
Most of us feel that this syndrome is what we all have because we've all woken up feeling " Dead Tired", but trust me if it were that, it wouldn't be as terrifying. The Walking Dead Syndrome is a colloquial term for Cotard's Syndrome. This syndrome s a belief held by the patient that he or she is actually dead, or that they simply don't exist or have lost their vital organs. In special cases the victim might actually smell flesh rotting. Existence Denial is another way of describing this syndrome.It is sometimes accompanied by symptoms of guilt,anxiety and negativity. In the most rarest of cases it gives the patient the delusion of immortality. Some patients suffering from the Walking Dead Syndrome have died of starvation since they deprived themselves of food,thinking that they are already dead. Many of the patients have attempted to commit suicide or self harm as the syndrome mostly occurs in people with disorders like Schizophrenia,Bipolar disorders,Brain injury,Seizures and depression. Women are more prone to this disease than men though the reason for this still hasn't been discovered.
This syndrome can be harmful to its patients as it includes feeling of depression . The patients sometimes may even believe that they are paralyzed or have auditory or smell hallucinations. For Example :- A 53 year old women was brought to a hospital one day, as she was complaining that she was dead ,smelled like rotten flesh and wanted to be taken to the morgue to be with the dead. After being questioned, she expressed her fear of the "paramedics" were trying to burn down her house. Not only that, she also complained of hopelessness , low energy, decreased appetite, and excessive sleepiness. The exact cause of this syndrome is not known, but there is a theory that damages, or clots in the frontal and temporal regions of the right hemisphere of the brain have been associated with the disease. Most people affected by this disorder cannot recognize their own face and do not show any interest in social life or pleasure. They are always paranoid and neglect their own hygiene. They lose their senses to reality and have a distorted picture of the world. Thus this disease is divided into three main stages :
1) Germination Stage - The patients show characteristic features of depressive moods (early stages of depression),extreme worry of being unwell and excessive fear of the illness making them unwell, even though they receive medical treatment.
2)Blooming Stage - It is this stage that the patient experiences true features of the disorder (delusion of being dead or immortal). This stage is associated with anxiety and negativism. 3) Chronic Stage - The individual shows severe depression due emotional disturbances or paranoia. The Walking Dead disorder can be treated by giving the patient antidepressants , antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. The patient also goes through therapy to help with the anxiety and depression.
Comentarios