A case of Cotard's Syndrome (CS) without depressive symptoms was presented in a 42-year-old male who was treated for paranoid schizophrenia. The patient was prescribed haloperidol decanoate (an anti-psychotic agent) to resolve his paranoid schizophrenia, but the patient stopped taking the medication.
The patient was brought to the ER displaying symptoms of CS such as paranoid thoughts, delusions of losing or not having body parts/internal organs, and reduced external expression of emotion (reduction affect). But unlike most cases of CS the patient did not have depressive mood of motor inhibition, and instead the patient's motor activity was enhanced and he had a normal, non-depressed mood.
The patient was brought to the ER displaying symptoms of CS such as paranoid thoughts, delusions of losing or not having body parts/internal organs, and reduced external expression of emotion (reduction affect). But unlike most cases of CS the patient did not have depressive mood of motor inhibition, and instead the patient's motor activity was enhanced and he had a normal, non-depressed mood.
The patient was treated with paliperidone, an antipsychotic, (12 mg/d) and lorazepam, an benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety disorders (5 mg/d). After a week of treatment the patient's behavior improved and the delusions became less intense. Within just 24 days of being admitted to the hospital, the patient reached full remission with no more paranoid delusions. The patient continued to take paliperidone (12 mg/d) after being discharged and no symptoms of CS reoccurred.
This presentation of CS demonstrates that CS, or any mental illness, does not present itself the same in every person. There are cases that do not fall in the category exactly, and this should be considered when diagnosing patients with mental illnesses. If a doctor simply disregarded this case as CS, the patient may have not gotten the proper treatment to recover.
This presentation of CS demonstrates that CS, or any mental illness, does not present itself the same in every person. There are cases that do not fall in the category exactly, and this should be considered when diagnosing patients with mental illnesses. If a doctor simply disregarded this case as CS, the patient may have not gotten the proper treatment to recover.
Sources:
Morgado, Pedro, Ricardo Ribeiro, and João J. Cerqueira. "Cotard Syndrome without Depressive Symptoms in a Schizophrenic Patient." Cotard Syndrome without Depressive Symptoms in a Schizophrenic Patient. Hindawi, 2015.<http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crips/2015/643191/abs/>.
Morgado, Pedro, Ricardo Ribeiro, and João J. Cerqueira. "Cotard Syndrome without Depressive Symptoms in a Schizophrenic Patient." Cotard Syndrome without Depressive Symptoms in a Schizophrenic Patient. Hindawi, 2015.<http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crips/2015/643191/abs/>.