Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Current Pharmaceutical Design

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1381-6128
ISSN (Online): 1873-4286

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Perspective

Are Drugs Always the Proper Solution to Therapeutic Dilemmas? Non-drug Approaches to the Post-traumatic Stress “Waking Corpse” Syndrome

Author(s): Konstantinos Laios, Gregory Tsoucalas, Dimitrios A. Vrachatis*, Antonis Charalampakis, Gregory Androutsos and Marianna Karamanou

Volume 25, Issue 1, 2019

Page: [1 - 4] Pages: 4

DOI: 10.2174/138161282501190514091805

Abstract

Jules Cotard (1840-1889), a Parisian neurologist, described a syndrome of delirium negations which was later named after him. Some physicians in antiquity and medieval times, especially in Asia, have noticed this syndrome and categorized it as a symptom of melancholy. They have presented it as a "walking corpse syndrome", inflicting most probably veteran soldiers after suffering during ferocious battles, presenting the first cases of a post war traumatic stress disorder. Philotimus (3rd-2nd century BC) was the first to record it around 3rd century BC, and proposed a simple but pioneering treatment, by just putting a lead hat on the men's heads. Although various combined treatment strategies were proposed by modern psychiatry including pharmaceutical, electroconvulsive therapy, behavioural therapy and supportive psychotherapy, it seems that in antiquity a simple external intervention of supportive therapy was the main concept of confrontation, while drug administration was to be avoided.

Keywords: Cotard's syndrome, walking corpse syndrome, Philotimus, Isḥaq Ibn-Imran, post war traumatic stress disorder, supportive psychotherapy.

Next »
[1]
Pearn J, Gardner Thorpe C. Jules Cotard (1840-1889): his life and the unique syndrome which bears his name. Neurology 2002; 58(9): 1400-3.
[2]
Flashar H. Melancholie und Melancholiker in der medizinischen Theorien in der Antike. Berlin: Gruyter 1966.
[3]
Homer . The Iliad. London: Henry G Bohn 1851.
[4]
González JM. Diachrony: Diachronic Studies of Ancient Greek Literature and Culture. Berlin: Gruyter 2015.
[5]
Luque R, Valls Blanco JM. Cotard’s syndrome: historical and conceptual aspects. Actas Luso Esp Neurol Psiquiatr Cienc Afines 1994; 22(4): 178-88.
[6]
Sahoo A, Josephs KA. A Neuropsychiatric Analysis of the Cotard Delusion. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2018; 30(1): 58-65.
[7]
Moschopoulos NP, Kaprinis S, Nimatoudis J. Cotard’s syndrome: Case report and a brief review of literature. Psychiatriki 2016; 27(4): 296-302.
[8]
Dunlop BW, Mansson E, Gerardi M. Pharmacological innovations for posttraumatic stress disorder and medication- enhanced psychotherapy. Curr Pharm Des 2012; 18(35): 5645-58.
[9]
Herodotus . History. London: Henry G Bohn; 1848; 6-117.
[10]
Alexander von Tralles. Therapeutica, vols 1-2 Vienna: Puschmann T & Braumüller; 1: 1878; 2 1879 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1963).
[11]
Karl von Garbers Maqala fi l-malihuliya (Abhandlung uber die Melancholie) und Constantini Africani libri duo De melancholia. Vergleichende kritische arabisch-lateinische Parallelausgabe Deutsche Ubersetzung des arabischen Textes, ausfuhrliche Einleitung und arabischer wie lateinischer drogenkundlicher Apparat. Hamburg Buske 1977.
[12]
Omrani A, Holtzman NS, Akiskal HS, Ghaemi SN. Ibn Imran’s 10th century Treatise on Melancholy. J Affect Disord 2012; 141(2-3): 116-9.
[13]
Pormann PE. Rufus of Ephesus On Melancholy. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2008.
[14]
Flashar H. Melancholie und Melancholiker in der medizinischen Theorien in der Antike. Berlin: De Gruyter 1966.
[15]
Berrios GE, Luque R. Cotard’s ‘On hypochondriacal delusions in a severe form of anxious melancholia’. History of Psychiatry 1999; 10: 269-78.
[16]
Simon B. Mind and Madness in Ancient Greece The Classical Roots of Modern Psychiatry. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press 1978.
[17]
Riddle JM. Dioscorides on Pharmacy and Medicine. Austin: University of Texas Press 1985.
[18]
Tsoucalas G, Sgantzos M, Androutsos G. Hippocrates, Principles on Abdominal Surgery in Ancient Greece During the Fifth Century bc. Surg Innov 2016; 23(2): 212-3.
[19]
Tsoucalas G, Spengos K, Panayiotakopoulos G, Papaioannou T, Karamanou M. Epilepsy, Theories and Treatment Inside Corpus Hippocraticum. Curr Pharm Des 2017; 23(42): 6369-72.
[20]
Tsoucalas G, Markatos K, Karamanou M. The Hippocratic Method of Surgical Cauterization for the Tumescence Spleen in the Rare “Spetses Syndrome”. Surg Innov 2018; 25(4): 413-6.
[21]
Thomaidis V, Tsoucalas G, Fiska A. The Hippocratic Method for the Reduction of the Mandibular Dislocation, an Ancient Greek Procedure Still in Use in Maxillofacial Surgery. Acta Med Acad 2018; 47(1): 139-43.
[22]
Tsoucalas G, Markatos K, Revelou MT, Androutsos G, Korres D, Karamanou M. Diagoras of Cyprus (3rd century BC) an eminent oculist and oppositor of the use of opium. Arch Balk Med Union 2018; 53(3): 179-83.
[23]
Walter A. Pharmacotherapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder In Combat Veterans Focus on Antidepressants and Atypical Antipsychotic Agents. PT 2012; 37(1): 32-8.
[24]
Meville NA. 'Crisis' in PTSD Drug Development Shifts Treatment Guidance. American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) 2018. Available at: https: //www.medscape.com/viewarticle/881165 Accessed October 10, 2018..
[25]
The Management of Post-Traumatic Stress Working Group. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline: Management of Post-traumatic Stress. Washington, DC: Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense; Oct, 2010. Available at: www.healthquality.va.gov/PTSD-FULL-2010c.pdf Accessed October 10, 2018..
[26]
Schnurr PP, Friedman MJ, Engel CC, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in women: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2007; 297: 820-30.

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
Article Metrics
15
8
1
1
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy