Study | Study design | Sample Size | Assessment Time | Outcome Measures/ Instruments | Signs & Symptoms | Results | Limitations | Country |
Kobayashi et al., 2012 [2] | Longitudinal Case study | n = 1
- 74 year old woman with cotard’s syndrome, depression, and Frontotemporal (FTD) dementia
- Previous 2 years of pharmacotherapy | 1 - 2 years | Observed, cognitive assessments, HDS-R scale (Dementia scale), MMSE (mini mental state examination), Brain CT scan Brain MRI scan Three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections (SPECT), ECT (treatment) | Atypical and nihilistic behavior
Motor rigidity
limited word/verbal expression
Loss of appetite/anorexia
Claimed that she did not have her intestines, stomach, lungs, and even claimed that she is dead | The patient was given around a total of 18 ECT sessions which resulted in fluctuated mental condition, and overall her delusions, sluggishness, slowness, appetite, and psychotic symptoms (she did not claim any missing organs) improved. But then they deteriorated again, but the patient’s overall physical and mental state improved | Patient had FTD Dementia which is very specific, very confused about which symptoms were existing before or what symptoms were side effects of a disease (blurred lines between the symptoms of her diseases)
Relationship unclear
Small sample size (1), so the results of the study may be biased and cannot be generalized | Japan |
Mughal, Menezes, 2013 [13] | Longitudinal study | n = 1
- 59 year old caucasian woman, history of depression with somatic symptoms, experienced loss of mobility, somatic symptoms resulting in suicidal ideals and complaints of pain without a definitive biological cause | About 2 months | ICD-10, ECT, Olanzapine, Antidepressants Antipsychotics pipotiazine depot injection Duloxetine MRI Verbal symptoms recorded/written SOAD | Claims of persistent back and leg pain Suicidal idealations Psychosomatic symptoms, claiming physical/biological causes of symptoms Somatisation loss of mobility (psychosomatic) Claimed she felt like a rotting corpse Claimed legs rotting and falling off | After 4 weeks of persistent antipsychotic, antidepressant, and ECT combination therapy, patient felt much happier and attended to her personal hygiene, motor disability was repaired,
Nihilistic delusions resolved, Better mood No longer suicidal or homicidal | Case study, meaning the results cannot be generalized
The cotard’s syndrome was treated more as a symptom of the patient’s psychotic depression | United Kingdom |