Cotard’s Delusion is a rare delusion where a person believe they are dead, don’t exist, are putrefying, or have lost their blood or internal organs. The delusion was first described in 1880 by French neurologist Jules Cotard (who humbly named it “The Delirium of Negation”).
He described the case of “Mademoiselle X” who denied the existence of parts of her body and denied that she needed to eat. She said that she was condemned to eternal damnation, and therefore, could not die a natural death. As a result of her beliefs Mademoiselle X died of starvation.
