A Reddit user with the nickname Mouseyleo spoke about an episode of Cotard’s syndrome that happened to him. The owners of this rare mental disorder may not believe that they are alive or even exist, and may also believe that they are decomposing or losing blood and internal organs.
“It lasted for several hours for me. I don’t know exactly how long, because I’ve completely lost track of time. I was 100 percent sure that I didn’t exist. I was unable to think logically. When I’m in a psychosis, I don’t have the opportunity to assess the degree of logic of a thought, so it can turn into a full—fledged delusion,” the author wrote.
He clarified that his main illness is bipolar disorder, against which an episode of Cotard syndrome occurred. He managed to return to a normal state only after taking antipsychotics. Before that, he was “delirious” and “mentally floundering.” Hospitalization was required due to the fact that, confident of his own demise, the author constantly got up and then fell to the floor, causing himself pain.
“If someone decides to call this experience spiritual, then I would not be in a hurry. It was incredibly painful, I cried a lot,” Mouseyleo concluded.
Earlier, another Reddit user talked about how she copes with her disease, dermatophagia, which arose against the background of obsessive—compulsive disorder. According to her, she repeatedly peeled off her own skin from her hands, feet and face.