Man writes terrifying account of rare illness

[cronus]

Man writes terrifying account of rare illness that makes him think he is dead even though he is definitely still alive

A patient has written a disturbing account of life with condition which makes him think he is dead - and how he spends his days in graveyards as it is ‘the closest I could get to death.’
The man, identified only as Graham, woke up nine years ago utterly convinced that he was no longer alive even though he was still breathing.
Doctors diagnosed him with Cotard’s Syndrome, which is also known as ‘Walking Corpse Syndrome’ because it makes people think they have turned into zombies.

But Graham did not believe them and kept insisting that his brain was dead because he had bizarrely fried it in the bath.
He lost interest in smoking, he didn’t bother speaking and stopped eating as there was ‘no point because I was dead.’
Only through months of therapy and treatment was he able to overcome the condition and live anything approaching a normal life.
Cotard’s Syndrome is among the most rare diseases in the world and it is thought that it affects just a few hundred people at any one time.
It is linked to depression and comes in a variety of forms including some who feel that their limbs are no longer functioning.
Other patients with Cotard’s have died of starvation because they feel they don’t need to eat any more or burned themselves with acid as they want to be free from what they feel is dead flesh.
Writing in the New Scientist magazine, Graham, who is from Britain, tells how his doctors was baffled so referred him to neurologists Adam Zeman at the University of Exeter and Steven Laureys at the University of Liège in Belgium.
Mr Laureys said: ‘It's the first and only time my secretary has said to me: 'It's really important for you to come and speak to this patient because he's telling me he's dead.''

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z2UREhftqt

[Sean Hayden]

Instructional video:

[Azathoth]

Graham, who is from Britain, tells how his doctors was baffled

I wish I culd spek da gud english like the dayly mayul

[cronus]

Asking leading questions. The guys real and actual thoughts are probably a million miles from the questioner. Anyone'd say 'dead' in that situation to get the shrink of their back.

[PsychoSerenity]

Asking leading questions. The guys real and actual thoughts are probably a million miles from the questioner. Anyone'd say 'dead' in that situation to get the shrink of their back.

I kind of got that impression too, though it may not be the case.

I also couldn't help wondering if there might have been more of a reaction had XC been the questioner:

Have you tried wanking, btw?

[JimC]

If real, and caused by a problem in a specific region of the brain, it could help to point towards a theory of consciousness. Maybe he lost a vital conceptual link which gives the illusory feeling of being a conscious being...

Maybe, in a way, he woke up from this rather precious illusion...

[cronus]

If real, and caused by a problem in a specific region of the brain, it could help to point towards a theory of consciousness. Maybe he lost a vital conceptual link which gives the illusory feeling of being a conscious being...

Maybe, in a way, he woke up from this rather precious illusion...

Could be a philosophical zombie but so could anyone out there. How'd you ever tell the difference with only your own qualia to lean on?

[Rum]

I thought I was dead when I was tripping on acid once. Scary.

[cronus]

I thought I was dead when I was tripping on acid once. Scary.

Beware flashbacks...they may last longer.

[Sean Hayden]

Asking leading questions. The guys real and actual thoughts are probably a million miles from the questioner. Anyone'd say 'dead' in that situation to get the shrink of their back.

Ha! I've never met anyone like this so I have no idea how good the acting in the video is. I'm not surprised that people can in fact become trapped in thinking mostly about their being dead, having no brain, guts that don't work etc.

[cronus]

Asking leading questions. The guys real and actual thoughts are probably a million miles from the questioner. Anyone'd say 'dead' in that situation to get the shrink of their back.

Ha! I've never met anyone like this so I have no idea how good the acting in the video is. I'm not surprised that people can in fact become trapped in thinking mostly about their being dead, having no brain, guts that don't work etc.

Something zombies do all the time. They need to test for LPQ-79 and put him in secure quarantine, and the guy interviewing him.

[mistermack]

Is there a condition of being convinced that you are about to die? I would have expected that to be more common.
In fact, sooner or later, it will be reality for most people.

The voodoo witch-doctors and African ones were commonly thought to be able to induce that belief in people, with curses and spells etc.

[Sean Hayden]

Something zombies do all the time. They need to test for LPQ-79 and put him in secure quarantine, and the guy interviewing him.

Tell me more about the zombies.