delusion – Head Over Heals

Cotard’s syndrome is also known as the ‘walking corpse’ syndrome. It is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by the delusional belief that one is dead, dying, rotting or nonexistent. Nihilistic beliefs range from involving particular body parts to including the entire body and even a denial that the self exists. The condition was first described by French neurologist Jules Cotard in 1880.

A real zombie attack happened during World War I. The battle was known as the ‘Attack of the Dead Men’. Russian soldiers defending Osoweic Fortress from the German army were bombarded with chlorine gas. The surviving Russians charged at the German forces despite coughing up their own blood and lung tissue. The frightening appearance of those advancing moribund Russians scared the German soldiers who turned and fled, some falling into their own traps.

In medical school, I remember a professor of psychiatry saying, “You cannot talk someone out of psychosis.” I was reminded of this when I came across a case study called The Three Christs of Ypsilanti.

Social psychologist, Milton Rokeach, tried to cure three paranoid schizophrenics with messianic delusions. All three men believed themselves to be Jesus Christ. Rokeach introduced them and encouraged them to interact in Ypsilanti State Hospital. Each was confronted with the others’ conflicting views. Rokeach hoped that, by exposing the men to each other, they would reflect on, question, and correct their false beliefs.

The patients fought bitterly. In the end, none of them changed their minds. One patient now believed that the other two were dead, and were operated by “machines”. The other two thought their companions were simply “crazy” or mistaken.

Rokeach could not cure the three Christs. However, he later admitted that: “It did cure me of my godlike delusion that I could manipulate them out of their beliefs.”