DAY 12: Cotard’s Syndrome (ShortHand’s 13 Days of Halloween)

Summary

---

RedHanded: DAY 12 – Cotard’s Syndrome (ShortHand’s 13 Days of Halloween)

Date: October 30, 2025

Hosts: Hannah Maguire & Heather Rogers

---

Episode Overview

This special Halloween “Shorthand” edition of RedHanded dives into the haunting psychological disorder known as Cotard’s Syndrome, or “Walking Corpse Syndrome.” In a chilling yet characteristically witty tone, Hannah and Heather unravel stories of people convinced they are dead, explore the history and science behind the illness, and discuss its eerie cultural relevance. The episode is packed with memorable anecdotes, case studies, dark humor, and a look at both the terrifying and occasionally redemptive journeys of those afflicted.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Cotard’s Syndrome

• Story of Hayley Smith (04:08–06:11):

  • 14-year-old from Alabama, felt something was “terrifyingly wrong,” leading her to believe she was already dead, not merely depressed or suicidal.
  • “She wasn’t depressed. She didn’t want to die. She was already dead.” (Heather Rogers, 05:23)

• Definition & Origins (06:11–07:18):

  • Named after Dr. Jules Cotard, who treated “Mademoiselle X” in 1880—she believed she had no organs and starved herself.
  • Cotard’s is a rare delusional disorder where living people are convinced they are dead, decaying, or lack body parts.

2. The Progression of Cotard’s Syndrome

• Three Stages:
  • Germination Stage: Deep nihilistic depression and hypochondria
    • Case of Esme Weijun Wang (07:18–08:53):
      "I'm dead." she tells her husband.
      "You may think I’m hot, but I’m also a rotting corpse. Sucks to be you, sir." (Esme Weijun Wang, as quoted by Hannah, 08:53)
  • Blooming Stage: Delusional feedback loop where patients behave more “dead”—they may stop eating, avoid cleaning, seek funerals, or loiter in graveyards.
    • “People with Cotard’s may stop eating because the food pyramid means nothing to the walking dead.” (Heather Rogers, 09:37)
  • Chronic Stage: The delusion becomes entrenched and can result in severe morbidity.
    • Infamous cases include spree killer Richard Chase and black metal singer Per Ohlin (“Dead”) (12:06–14:38).

3. Notable Case Studies

• Richard Chase (The Vampire Killer) (12:06–12:50):

  • Thought his blood was turning into powder; cannibalized victims to replenish himself.

• Per Ohlin (‘Dead’ of Mayhem) (12:50–14:38):

  • Engaged in extreme mortuary rituals, likely suffered Cotard’s due to depression and childhood trauma.
  • “Dead had visions that his blood had frozen in his veins.” (Heather Rogers, 13:43)

• Warren McKinley (Ex-soldier) (16:30–17:20, 24:04–25:58):

  • After a severe motorcycle accident, became convinced he had died in the crash, refused to eat, couldn’t be convinced otherwise even with medical proof.

• Esme Weijun Wang (again) (25:03–25:58):

  • Her experience with Cotard’s became a relief, offering her a “second chance” before morphing into a feeling of existential horror.

4. Delusional Logic & Medical Insights

• Resilience of Delusion (17:20–18:47):

  • No rational argument or biological evidence can overpower the conviction.
  • “Telling someone with Cotard’s syndrome that they’re not dead is like telling you the sky isn’t blue or that fire doesn’t burn.” (Heather Rogers, 18:47)

• Links to Capgras Syndrome (20:54–21:53):

  • Capgras: Belief a loved one is replaced by an imposter—due to brain regions responsible for emotion/facial recognition.
  • Both syndromes possibly result from a two-part neural pathway failure, but present differently depending on personality and comorbid conditions.

• Brain Studies (23:19–24:04):

  • 2013 PET scan of a Cotard’s patient found metabolic activity similar to a vegetative state.

5. Treatment & Recovery

• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) (24:04–24:43):

  • Often used as a last resort, especially when tied to depression.
  • “As depression is the most common diagnosis, the effectiveness of ECT perhaps comes from its ability to treat the underlying depression rather than the Cotard’s delusions themselves.” (Heather Rogers, 24:43)

• Alternative Paths:

  • Warren McKinley and another sufferer used their experience to “start over” as new people.
  • Esme Wang felt temporary relief, but ultimately found, “I was doomed to wander forever in a world that was not mine, in a body that was not mine...” (Quoted by Heather, 25:58)

• The Uplifting Case of Hayley Smith (25:58–27:01):

  • Embraced “life as a corpse,” but therapy and Disney movies eventually brought her “back to life.”
  • “If The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and Bambi could make her feel so good, maybe she wasn’t so dead after all.” (Heather Rogers, 26:45)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• **“I’m alive and I know it.”

  • “Me too.”
  • “Some people don’t.”
  • “No they don’t.” (04:00–04:08, opening exchange)

• “Would you rather lick a toilet bowl or the sole of your shoe?” (11:40, humorous detour on perceptions and reality checks in mental health therapy)

• “I’m not mental, I’m dead.” (12:01, Heather Rogers, jokingly highlighting the absurd conviction in Cotard’s)

• Kafka quote:
  “I was ashamed of myself when I realized that life is a masquerade party and I attended with my real face.” (25:58, Heather Rogers)

• On the paradox of Cotard’s:
  “In a 90 study on the syndrome, 69% of patients denied their own existence. But interestingly, 55% also believed that they were immortal.” (19:31, Heather Rogers)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [04:08] Story of Hayley Smith
• [06:11] Origins & Dr. Cotard’s Case
• [07:18] The three stages of Cotard’s
• [07:56] Esme Weijun Wang’s Experience
• [12:06] Chronic Cases: Richard Chase & Per Ohlin
• [16:30] Warren McKinley’s Case
• [20:54] Capgras Syndrome Comparison
• [23:19] First PET Brain Scan Study
• [24:04] Electroconvulsive Therapy
• [25:58] Hayley Smith’s Recovery via Disney Films

---

Conclusion

RedHanded’s Halloween deep dive into Cotard’s Syndrome is a haunting, informative, yet often darkly funny exploration of one of psychiatry’s most bizarre conditions. By weaving compelling personal stories, pop culture references, and brain science, Hannah and Heather bring both empathy and clarity to the “Walking Corpse” delusion, leaving listeners spooked and fascinated. As always, their banter and levity balance the subject’s inherent darkness—capping off a perfect pick for the season.

---

Final words:

“Don’t get Cotard syndrome, whatever you do.” – Hannah Maguire (27:20)

“Or if you do, watch Aladdin and you’ll be fine.” – Heather Rogers (27:27)

Transcript

[Hannah Maguire]

Wondry plus subscribers can listen to Red handed early and ad free. Join Wondry plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Podcast Advertiser]

One in five Americans have learned a new language on their bucket list. If that's you, make 2025 the year you finally check it off with Babbel, the language app that makes grammar fun and is actually worth your time. Here's a special limited time deal for our listeners right now. Get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription at babbel.com truecrime get up to 55% off at babbel.com spelled B A B-B-E-L.com truecrime rules and restrictions may apply Ladies, is everyone trying to fix their health concerns with unproven gummies and tricks? Well, thank goodness low libido has a real clinically proven treatment Low libido can be so frustrating, but there is a treatment called addi. ADDI is the first and only FDA approved pill proven to boost sexual desire in certain premenopausal women. Isn't that great a clinically proven option for your low libido that comes from a doctor, not a gas station? Learn [e-mail] and take charge of your sexual health with a treatment that's backed by science. Remember, that's addy a d d y.

[Pharmaceutical Narrator]

I.com addi or flovanserin is for premenopausal women with acquired Generalized Hypoactive sexual desire disorder who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past who have low sexual desire. No matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner, the low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine or other drug use. ADDI is not for use in men or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks. Close in time to your ADDI dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking ADDI at bedtime. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is also increased if you take certain prescriptions over the counter or herbal medications or have liver problems. Low blood pressure and fainting can happen when you take addi. Even if you don't drink alcohol or take other medicines. Do not take if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in addi. Allergic reactions may include hives, itching or trouble breathing. Sleepiness, sometimes serious, can occur. Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and dry mouth. See full PI and medication guide including boxed [e-mail] PI or call 844pinkpill addy.

[Podcast Advertiser]

That'S addy a-yi.com what if I told.

[Lawless Planet Host]

You that the crime of the century is the one being waged on our planet? Introducing Lawless Planet Wondry's new podcast exploring the dark side of the climate crisis. Uncover shocking tales of crime and corruption threatening our world's future. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondri app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hannah Maguire]

Hello there spooky listener. It's October, our favourite time of the year. And so to celebrate and give you all a well deserved treat, we're bringing you the 13 days of Halloween Shorthand Edition.

[Heather Rogers]

Usually every single week over on Amazon Music, we release brand new episodes of our bite sized sister show Shorthand. It's like Red Handed's Little Friend, where we delve into all sorts of fascinating topics from hell in different religions, Haitian Voodoo, the death of Edgar Allan Poe, Cotard Syndrome, Japan, Suicide Forest, and so much more.

[Hannah Maguire]

And this Halloween from the 19th of October to the 31st of October, we are going to be pulling out 13 of our most terrifying episodes of Shorthand to drop straight into your Red Handed feed every single day.

[Heather Rogers]

But beware, each episode will only be available for 24 hours, so get listening or abandon all hope.

[Hannah Maguire]

Enjoy.

[Heather Rogers]

Hello?

[Hannah Maguire]

Hello.

[Heather Rogers]

I'm alive and I know it.

[Hannah Maguire]

Me too.

[Heather Rogers]

Some people don't.

[Hannah Maguire]

No they don't.

[Heather Rogers]

The day was unfortunately, like every other for 14 year old Hayley Smith, it's a truth known universally that being a teenage girl is genuine hell on earth. And to make things even worse, Hayley's parents were getting a divorce. The schoolgirl from Alabama sat in her English class desperately trying to focus on the lesson. Just as it seemed like her world was falling apart, a disturbing feeling washed over her. Something was wrong. Terrifyingly wrong. This was uncharted territory. A feeling so foreign that you and I could never even imagine it. Unable to shake whatever it was, Hayley made a beeline for the school nurse. There was nothing physically wrong with Hayley. There was no elevated heart rate. Her palms weren't sweating. She didn't have a migraine. The nurse was freaked out. This was way beyond her expertise. Hayley decided to go home. And as she walked, she realised there was only one place she could go that might have some answers. The graveyard.

[Hannah Maguire]

But since it wasn't close by, and with nowhere else to go and no one to turn to, Hayley tried to Sleep it off. Days later, the sinister sensation came back with a vengeance. And now Hayley knew for sure what it was. She yearned for someone to understand. Hayley wasn't depressed. She didn't want to die. She was already dead. So if you've ever wondered what it's like to be dead, or you're just fascinated by the mysteries of the mind, then keep listening. Because the story we have for you today is that of Cotard syndrome, AKA Walking Corpse syndrome, in which people are convinced that they are just. That is the shorthand.

[Heather Rogers]

In 1880, Dr. Jules Cottard was visited by Mademoiselle X, who sounds like a dominatrix, but she was actually just a middle aged woman who was depressed. She was depressed and also she was convinced that she was made of skin and bones. Only Mademoiselle X was totally convinced that she had no brain, no nerves, no organs, and was cursed to internal damnation. In what must have been the fastest evaluation ever, Cotard confirmed that Mademoiselle X did have all of her organs and there were no other physical ailments that he could find. So Dr. Coutard just couldn't really do anything else for her. Especially since Mademoiselle X, who was convinced that her stomach was dead, starved herself to death before Cotard's psychiatric treatment could start. In a nutshell, Cotard Syndrome is a rare mental disorder where the affected and very much alive person thinks that they are dead, decaying or have missing body parts.

[Hannah Maguire]

And feeling emotionally dead inside is one thing. We've all been there. We're not talking about a psychedelic trip gone wrong or an existential crisis. Cotard Syndrome manifests in a delusion so unshakable that no amount of logic or medical proof can break through. The syndrome usually unfolds in three stages, although it can come on suddenly and unexpectedly. First up is the germination stage, a deep nihilistic depression, sometimes accompanied by extreme hypochondria. For that, let's look at the story of Esme weijun Wang.

[Heather Rogers]

In 2013, Wang, a writer from San Francisco, fainted on a flight home from London. For hours, she drifted in and out of consciousness. When she got back home, she went to doctor after doctor. But no one could explain what had triggered this episode. And this left Wang, who did have a history of psychosis, on edge. As her anxiety spiralled, her thoughts became scattered. She started to lose her grip on reality. In a desperate attempt to ward off a psychotic break, Wang buried herself in self help books, reorganized her workspace, bought five yearly planners and one morning, before the sun rose, she shook her husband awake and said, I'm dead. She cried through tears of relief. And you're dead too, she told her husband. Finally, everything made sense.

[Hannah Maguire]

Wang was certain that she hadn't fainted on that flight. A month ago, she had in fact died. And in her mind, so did her husband and dog, Daphne. In her book, the Collected Schizophrenias Essays, Esme describes life with walking corpse syndrome. While waiting for an electroconvulsive therapy consultation, a guy checked her out. And Esme writes, yes, I thought as our eyes met, you may think I'm hot, but I'm also a rotting corpse. Sucks to be you, sir. And this brings us to the second stage, the blooming stage. Now, whoever named the stages of cotards had a dark sense of humour. Indeed.

[Heather Rogers]

Well, presumably it was Dr. Cottard, because.

[Hannah Maguire]

Nothing says bloomin quite like feeling like a rotting corpse. During the blooming stage, a delusional feedback loop can take place. The cotard sufferer believes that they are dead, so they start doing things that make them feel even deader. People with cotards may stop eating because the food pyramid means nothing to the walking dead. In one reported case, a woman thought her body parts were rotting, so she avoided washing altogether, fearing that she'd vanish down the drain. People who suffer from this condition may even beg their families to bury them now or throw them a funeral. Some may even hang out in graveyards to feel closer to death.

[Heather Rogers]

I know you're not going to be able to answer this question, but even if they're not eating, presumably they still have to wee. So, I mean, obviously this is a very, very severe form of psychosis, so it's not going to be rational at all. But that's quite odd. Yeah, I mean, like you, you must have organs. You're weeing.

[Hannah Maguire]

I think it comes back to that line that they will believe this in the face of all logic and evidence to the contrary.

[Heather Rogers]

I'm gonna really upset you with something. I'm sorry. My friend Molly is staying with me and one of her friends is a counselor. She deals a lot of people with ocd. Like can't leave the house ocd. Uh huh. And what she does is she will go to her client's house and she will lick the toilet bowl to show them that it's fine. Oh my God. Yep.

[Hannah Maguire]

I am upset.

[Heather Rogers]

I knew you would be.

[Hannah Maguire]

I'm dead. I've died. I'm dead. I've given you guitard syndrome. Listen to this shorthand. Wesruti gets infected with cotard syndrome. Oh my God, I'm so upset. But I understand the logic. Yeah, I understand the logic. Can't handle.

[Heather Rogers]

Would you rather lick a toilet bottle or the sole of your shoe?

[Hannah Maguire]

Is it my shoe? Yeah. Is it my toilet? My toilet. Because I clean it at least twice a day. So I'll do that. But I don't clean the soles of my shoes.

[Heather Rogers]

No. Who would?

[Hannah Maguire]

Exactly. I'm not mental.

[Heather Rogers]

I've just got Cotard syndrome.

[Hannah Maguire]

I'm not mental, I'm dead.

[Heather Rogers]

That takes us up to the final stage of Cotard syndrome, where the delusion, now deeply entrenched, can take an even more morbid turn. Take Cerriti's boyfriend, Richard Chase, the infamous vampire killer, who is a pretty likely candidate for Cotard Syndrome. We did his case ages ago in a two parter, but here's a little recap. Richard Chase was a spree killer who terrorised people in Sacramento in the late 70s. He thought his arteries had been stolen and his blood was turning into powder. And in order to replenish himself, he harvested animals and then later humans, killing six people within a month and cannibalizing their remains.

[Hannah Maguire]

Then of course, there's the tragic story of Pert Olin, frontman of Mayhem, a band that makes Slipknot look like the Backstreet Boys. We've also covered his story and the church burning, bloodthirsty chaos that followed in our episode on the Norwegian black metal scene. You should go listen to it if you haven't. It's perfect for this season now. Purr, known by his stage name, Dead, was hardcore into deathcore. He wore corpse paint and not in like a Kiss cosplay way, and he even buried his clothes in coffins to scent them with dead fungus fumes. He carried around a plastic bag with the dead crow in it before going on stage. He would even inhale the rotting air from this bag in order to sing with, quote, the stench of death in his nostrils. His antics were extreme even for the death metal scene.

[Heather Rogers]

Dead was severely depressed and in April 1991 he took his own life at 22 years old. Since his death, there has been speculation and pretty reasonable conclusions that Dead suffered from Cotard Syndrome. Before Per Olin was Dead, childhood bullies nearly took him there themselves, beating him so badly that he was declared clinically dead and had to be raped. Revived. According to Stein Occultus Johansson, who took over as the vocalist after Dead's suicide, Dead had visions that his blood had frozen in his veins. Cotard Syndrome is sometimes thought to be comorbid. With schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but it can also be triggered by psychological and physical trauma. So Per Ohlin may never have fully recovered from his schoolyard beating.

[Mr. Ballin]

You know those creepy stories that give you goosebumps? The ones that make you really question what's real? Well, what if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest and most mysterious stories are not found in haunted houses or abandoned forests, but instead in hospital rooms and doctor's offices? Hi, I'm Mr. Ballin, the host of Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries and each week on my podcast you can expect to hear stories about bizarre illnesses no one can explain, miraculous recoveries that shouldn't have happened, and cases so baffling they stumped even the best doctors. So if you crave totally true and thoroughly twisted horror stories and mysteries, Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries should be your new go to weekly show. Listen to Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

[Alaina Urquhart]

It's all a light hearted nightmare on our podcast Morbid. We're your hosts. I'm Alina Urquhart. And I'm Ash Kelly and our show is part true crime, part spooky and part comedy. The stories we cover are well researched. Of the 880 men who survived the attack, around 400 would eventually find their way to one another and merge into one larger group with a touch of humor. Shout out to her. Shout out to all my my therapist. Throughout the years there's been like eight of them. A dash of sarcasm and just garnished a bit with a little bit of cursing. That motherf er is not real. And if you're a weirdo like us and love to cozy up to a creepy tale of the paranormal, or you love to hop in the Wayback Machine and dissect the details of some of history's most notorious crimes. You should tune in to our podcast Morbid. Follow Morbid on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to episodes early and ad free by joining Wondery plus and the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

[Hannah Maguire]

Then there's the story of Warren McKinley. An ex soldier from Braintree, Essex, Warren joined the British army as a teenager in 1999. He was later based at the Royal Air Force Honington in Suffolk, where he worked as a recovery mechanic. On 23 May 2005, Warren and a friend were Riding their motorbikes home from work. When his riding companion lost control, Warren swerved to dodge him, but was thrown from his own bike and into a tree. He suffered a broken back, pelvis and damage to his frontal lobe. The executive suite of your brain which controls high level decision making. Warren recovered in a military hospital where he was surrounded by veterans with missing limbs and stories of death. This triggered something in his psyche.

[Heather Rogers]

Warren became convinced that he had died in that motorcycle crash, but for reasons unknown to him, his spirit had refused to move on. He was a dead man walking. Soon enough, the dead man refused to eat. Here's the thing about someone could be withering away, fainting, losing weight, stomach howling. But the delusion is so powerful that the mind rejects physical cues like hunger. And if you're trying to crack the code and be like, why don't you show them their pulse? Or like me being like, why don't you explain to them they have to have a bladder because they're weeing? The syndrome doesn't respond to any ordinary proof of life metric. If you point out to a Cotard sufferer that they're walking, talking, or even that they went to the bathroom, then they'll just tell you that dead people do all of that as well. In their eyes, you're the idiot who's misinformed. A doctor could show a Cotard syndrome sufferer concrete proof that they're alive with a pulse or a blood test, but they will just reject the science and insist that corpses can bleed and that they're living in an afterlife. It's the kind of mental gymnastics that would make any conspiracy theorist proud. Telling someone with Cotard syndrome that they're not dead is like telling you the sky isn't blue or that fire doesn't burn. And there's an old saying, you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into. So maybe flat Earthers and Cotards patients have that in common.

[Hannah Maguire]

The human brain is very good at clinging to false beliefs like their gospel. And this calls for a quick segue. The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. In the 1950s, psychologist Milton Rokich wanted to see if delusional people could be reasoned out of their delusions. He rounded up three patients with paranoid schizophrenia, each one convinced that they were the one true Jesus Christ. Initially, they all argued over who was the holiest. After two years of living together, these three people's delusions hadn't changed at all. Each self proclaimed messiah simply concluded that the other two were obviously mental. Or controlled by machines or something.

[Heather Rogers]

I can't remember where I heard this story, but for some reason it's in Stephen Fry's voice in my head. So maybe he said it. There was a. A man living in a psychiatric hospital convinced that he's God, right? And one of the workers goes in to his room and they're like, okay, God, I have a question. How do you explain the problem of evil? How do you explain suffering in the world? And this patient just goes, I never talk shop. So what is really going on in the deluded Cotard syndrome riddled brain? In a 90 study on the syndrome, 69% of patients denied their own existence. But interestingly, 55% also believed that they were immortal. This paradox suggests that Cotard's syndrome is tied to issues with the affective sense of self. Philosopher Andre Bilion proposes that Cotard Syndrome is a response to depersonalization, which happens when someone loses their sense of mindness, the feeling that their experiences aren't truly their own. Bo Burnham has that billions theory also draws upon the understanding that different layers of the brain must work together to create a unified sense of self. And these are split into the affective core sensorimotor and narrative selves.

[Hannah Maguire]

Another leading theory is that Cotard's is similar to something known as Capgras Syndrome. Capgras, also called a delusion of doubles, is a psychiatric disorder in which someone believes an imposter has replaced a friend or relative. Capgras usually starts with damage to the fusiform gyrus, the part of the brain that helps us recognise faces and respond to social cues. When this part is damaged, you may end up with something called prosperophagia or face blindness. Apparently Brad Pitt has hinted that he might have this, though he hasn't been officially diagnosed. But Capgras Syndrome goes beyond a difficulty in recognising faces. With this condition, the part of the brain that links emotions to familiar faces is damaged too. So imagine coming home to a stranger in your dining room. The stranger insists that they're your sister, but her face looks off, almost like she's wearing a very lifelike prosthetic mask.

[Heather Rogers]

So you'd start checking for signs and looking for cracks in her disguise. As paranoia takes hold, you become convinced that your sister has been replaced by a doppelganger or an identity thief. So the first brain impairment makes you doubt that your sister is really your sister. The second impairment then impacts your ability to believe or reject this belief. Both Cotards and Capgras likely result from a two part impairment in the brain areas responsible for introspection, perception, emotion, and facial recognition. However, when this emotional disconnect happens, people may try to understand it in different ways based on their personality or a pre existing disorder. For example, someone with severe depression might internalize the disconnect and think something is wrong with them, therefore denying their existence and developing Cotard syndrome. On the flip side, someone more prone to paranoid thinking might look outward and start blaming their environment, and therefore they're more likely to develop something like Capgras syndrome.

[Hannah Maguire]

There are still a lot of questions around Cotard syndrome. With only 200 known cases worldwide, it doesn't get much funding. It did make a brief appearance in Scrubs, though. You might recall in season four when a Cotard's patient named Jerry wanders around Sacred Heart hospital spewing unsolicited life lessons from the dead.

[Heather Rogers]

I do remember that episode. It's a good one.

[Hannah Maguire]

Despite being documented since the 19th century, the first PET scan done on a Catarrhs patient was in 2013 after surviving a suicide attempt where he tried to electrocute himself in the bath. A man named Graham believed that he had killed his brain in the process and was diagnosed with Cotard syndrome. A PET scan revealed his metabolic activity was so low that it was like someone who was in a vegetative state. The default mode network was also damaged. This is a brain region that activates when we're resting and disconnected from the outside world. Experts weren't sure whether Graham's delusions were caused by his brain activity or if the delusions themselves led to the lowered brain activity.

[Heather Rogers]

When it comes to treatment, no clear cause means no clear cure. However, quite often doctors will turn to electroconvulsive therapy. It's the oldest somatic therapy and it is still used today. It's a last resort for treating depression that doesn't improve with therapy or medication. And it does help people. Like sounds nightmarish and I'm sure it's very unpleasant, but for some people it does work. As depression is the most common diagnosis of Cotard's syndrome, the effectiveness of ECT perhaps comes from its ability to treat the underlying depression rather than the Cotard's delusions themselves. But there are other solutions that are a little bit more unconventional. Take our motorbike rider, Warren McKinley. He spent 18 months living as a dead man until he crossed paths with a fellow British soldier in rehab who also had Cotard syndrome. What are the odds?

[Hannah Maguire]

As Warren and his new friend bonded over their mutual non existence, they found a silver lining. Considering their old Selves were dead. This was an opportunity to start over. Nature would have a field day with that. Across the pond, Esme Wang, our American writer from earlier, had a similar epiphany. For her, being dead was a relief. In fact, she was almost happy about it. Now she could give her life another shot, but this time she'd do better. However, being dead quickly lost its appeal for Esme, who described the terrifying ordeal writing the following. I was doomed to wander forever in a world that was not mine, in a body that was not mine. I was doomed to be surrounded by creatures and so called people that mimicked the lovely world that I had once known, but were now fictions and could evoke no emotion in me.

[Heather Rogers]

There's a really horrible and like, haunting Kafka quote. I was ashamed of myself when I realized that life is a masquerade party and I attended with my real face. I know. So what about Hayley Smith, our schoolgirl from Alabama that we met at the top of the show? Well, she actually had a pretty wholesome path back to the land of the living at first. For three years, Hayley actually embraced life as a corpse. She gorged on food, figuring that corpses can't gain weight, and she watched horror films to be closer to her zombie family. Eventually, she came clean to a friend of hers and then later to her dad, who urged his daughter to see a psychiatrist. Hayley credits a mix of therapy and Disney films for bringing her back to life. According to Hayley, if the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and Bambi could make her feel so good, maybe she wasn't so dead after all.

[Hannah Maguire]

Whatever it takes, I guess.

[Heather Rogers]

Bambi, though? Fuck yeah.

[Hannah Maguire]

I mean, that is not a feel good film.

[Heather Rogers]

No, I don't think it is at all.

[Hannah Maguire]

No, I've never watched it. I don't want to watch it.

[Heather Rogers]

Don't.

[Hannah Maguire]

No, no, thanks. So, yeah, there you go.

[Heather Rogers]

Spooky shorthand. The spooky month.

[Hannah Maguire]

Very spooky. I can't imagine if I actually felt that way. So, no, thank you. Don't get Cotard syndrome, whatever you do.

[Heather Rogers]

Or if you do, watch Aladdin and you'll be fine.

[Hannah Maguire]

Apparently Prince Ali. Anyway, that's it, guys. We will see you next week for a different shorthand. Goodbye.

[Heather Rogers]

Bye.

[Lawless Planet Host]

How hard is it to kill a planet? Maybe all it takes is a little drilling, some mining, and a whole lot of carbon pumped into the atmosphere. When you see what's left, it starts to look like a crime scene.

[Heather Rogers]

Are we really safe? Is our water safe? You destroyed our tap.

[Lawless Planet Host]

And crimes like that they don't just happen.

[Podcast Advertiser]

We call things accidents.

[Alaina Urquhart]

There is no accident.

[Heather Rogers]

This was 100% preventable.

[Lawless Planet Host]

They're the result of choices by people. Ruthless oil tycoons, corrupt politicians, even organized crime. These are the stories we need to be telling about our changing planet. Stories of scams, murders, and coverups that are about us and the things we're doing to either protect the Earth or destroy it. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad free right now by joining Wondry plus in the Wondry App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.