Walking Dead Syndrome Really Is a Thing

America’s fascination with zombies and the walking dead will again be on full display this Halloween, as children and adults dressed as the undead happily stagger through neighborhoods and stumble to parties.

But the sad truth is that some people actually believe that they are walking dead.Cotard’s syndrome, also referred to as Walking Corpse Syndrome, is a relatively rare condition where sufferers genuinely believe that they are dead.

In varied accounts, patients report that their brain is dead, that their heart has stopped beating and that their organs are rotting. The syndrome is named for the French neurologist, Jules Cotard, who first diagnosed the delusion after working with a female patient who had the unshakable belief that she was dead.

“I’ve worked with patients who felt that they were already dead – that they were living either in heaven or hell and were convinced that their body was not actually working anymore,” said Michael Birnbaum, MD, director of North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Early Treatment Program.

“And I’ve had other patients who came in feeling as though their insides had already died, that their livers were not working and that they were rotting form the inside.”

Dr. Birnbaum explained that the nihilistic delusion is borne of one of two psychotic conditions.

“Cotard’s is often associated with schizophrenia, where individuals … are struggling with psychotic experiences, like hearing things that other people don’t hear and having unusual beliefs,” Dr. Birnbaum said. “You can also see [Cotard’s syndrome] in individuals with severe forms of depression. Anybody suffering with a severely depressed mood can become psychotic as well.”

Without proper treatment, including psychotherapy and often medication, Cotard’s can be literally deadly. Patients frequently feel that they do not need to do the basic things to survive, such as eat, sleep, work and maintain proper hygiene.

“Any delusion can be incredibly dangerous depending on how it impacts your life,” Dr. Birnbaum said. “Someone who believes they’re already dead may not take the necessary steps in their daily life -- to shower, get out of bed, go to work, go to school or have healthy relationships and friendships. None of those things matter if you’re already dead.

“It’s very hard to motivate someone to go to school, to go to work and to have relationships if they feel as if there’s no point because they’re already dead,” he continued. “So the key is trying to work with someone to understand that there is hope, that there is a future and that there is the possibility of fulfilling their hopes and dreams despite having these incredible obstacles and scary experiences.”

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