Also credits Disney films with her recovery as they made her 'feel alive'

Miss Smith eventually overcame the condition with help of therapist

Some die from starvation as they feel they no longer have to eat

A teenage girl spent three years of her life convinced she was dead due to a rare medical condition known as 'Walking Corpse Syndrome'.

Haley Smith, 17, suffered from the ultra-rare illness Cotard’s Syndrome.

Sufferers genuinely believe they are dead, or that parts of their body no longer exist, and some die from starvation because they feel they no longer have to eat.

But with the help of a therapist – and, bizarrely, Disney films – she recovered.

Haley Smith, 17, suffered from a very rare illness called Cotard’s Syndrome, also known as 'Walking Corpse Syndrome', where sufferers genuinely believe they are dead or have body parts missing

Sufferers such as Miss Smith (with her boyfriend, Jeremy) often die from starvation because they feel they no longer have to eat. But with the help of a therapist - and Disney films - she has now recovered

Cases of Cotard’s Syndrome date back to 1788 but it was formally identified by French neurologist Jules Cotard in 1880.

Among the handful of cases over the years was a 53-year-old woman in New York who in 2008 claimed that she stank like rotting fish because she was dead.

Like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Cotard’s is another form of delusional psychosis, the only self-certifiable form of its kind.

Those with this condition often describe a loss of blood, organs and/or body parts.

This distorted reality is caused by a malfunction in an area of the brain called the fusiform gyrus, which recognses faces, and also in the amygdala - an almond-shaped set of neurons that processes your emotions.

Aware the disease is incredibly rare, Miss Smith, of Alabama, in the US, has decided to speak out to support others.

THE NIGHTMARE OF 'WALKING CORPSE SYNDROME' Cases of Cotard’s Syndrome date back to 1788 but it was formally identified by French neurologist Jules Cotard in 1880. Among the handful of cases over the years was a 53-year-old woman in New York who in 2008 claimed that she stank like rotting fish because she was dead. Like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Cotard’s is another form of delusional psychosis, the only self-certifiable form of its kind. Those with this condition often describe a loss of blood, organs and/or body parts. This distorted reality is caused by a malfunction in an area of the brain called the fusiform gyrus, which recognizes faces, and also in the amygdala, an almond-shaped set of neurons that processes your emotions. The combination is a lack of recognition when viewing familiar faces (even the face of the sufferer), leaving the person feeling disconnected with reality. There is no current cure for Cotard’s Syndrome. Common treatments include anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, as well as the controversial electroconvulsive therapy. Advertisement

She said: 'My parents had just divorced and I didn’t cope with it well.

'Then one day when I was sitting in an English class I had this really weird sensation that I was dead and I couldn’t shake it.’

She went to see the school nurse, who, baffled, could not find anything wrong.

Miss Smith continued: 'As I walked home I thought about visiting a graveyard, just to be close to others who were also dead.

'But because there wasn't one nearby I went straight back to my house and tried to sleep it off.'

It seemed to work but a few days later, the macabre sense struck again.

‘I was out shopping when the sudden feeling returned.

‘My whole body went numb and I dropped all the dresses I was holding and ran out of the shop. I felt like I was going mad.’

This time, the feeling did not go away.

Instead, Miss Smith began missing school, sleeping through the day and staying awake at night.

She said: ‘I’d fantasise about having picnics in graveyards and I’d spend a lot of time watching horror films because seeing the zombies made me feel relaxed, like I was with family.’

As time went by, Haley decided to embrace her ‘new’ life.

‘I decided to eat whatever I wanted because I couldn’t put on weight if I was dead,’ she said.

She stopped talking to her friends who suspected something was wrong.

Miss Smith said: ‘Watching Disney films gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I asked my boyfriend Jeremy: “How can I be dead when Disney makes me feel this good?”'

Eventually, in despair, she spoke to one of them about her situation.

She said: ‘I thought he’d think I was a freak but he just nodded and listened.

'It gave me the confidence to tell my dad.’ Her father, Floyd, urged her to see a psychiatrist.

But it was two years until she finally plucked up the courage - and was immediately she diagnosed with Cotard’s, or Walking Corpse Syndrome.

‘It’s a rare condition where sufferers believe they or parts of their body no longer exist,’ Miss Smith said.

I’d fantasise about having picnics in graveyards and I’d spend a lot of time watching horror films because seeing the zombies made me feel relaxed, like I was with family

‘It was so amazing to find out it was a real illness.

‘I went online and found stories of other people who suffered from it.

'They wanted to spend time in graveyards too. It made me feel so much better that I wasn’t the only one.’

Talking with the therapist set her on the road to recovery.

She also discovered Disney films were a huge help in her recovery.

Miss Smith said: ‘Watching Disney films gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

'The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi – I watched them all. I asked my boyfriend Jeremy: “How can I be dead when Disney makes me feel this good?”.’

Gradually, she began to better.

‘Jeremy helped me so much – as did Disney – and we’re hoping to get married soon and then get jobs in Disney World,’ she said.

She added: ‘Being a corpse was the most bizarre experience, but I’m so glad I managed to get out alive.’