title: [The Cotard syndrome in schizophrenic disorders].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Cotard-Syndrome (CS), the belief of being dead, was described for the first time in 1880. Since then it met the interest not only of psychopathologists but also of philosophers. With a few exceptions, the literature is mainly restricted to case reports of anxious-depressive, demented or paranoid patients. It was the aim of our study to investigate the prevalence and the psychopathological context of the CS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the Austrian data (N = 346) of the International Study of Psychotic Symptoms in Schizophrenia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A CS could be diagnosed in three cases (0.87%). In all of them, CS developed on the basis of nihilistic-hypochondriac delusions and a progressive loss of energy. Two patients bridged the logical inconsistencies between obviously being alive and the belief of being dead by visual illusions, the third patient, however, by locating himself in an intermediate region between this world and the afterworld.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the one hand the CS can be considered as a special manifestation of the topic of death in schizophrenic delusions, on the other as a nihilistic delusional identity. Without doubt, this uncommon and bizarre psychotic phenomenon will be an object of interest for general psychopathology as well as for the philosophy of mind also in future.
authors: Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Wien, Österreich. thomas.stompe@meduniwien.ac.at
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Stompe
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Schanda
mesh_terms: D003702:Delusions; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D006801:Humans; D011599:Psychopathology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology