Alexithymia and related mental and psychosomatic disorders

Abstract

Rationale. Currently, there is a growing number of mental disorders, which are infl uenced by various external and internal factors, including the presence of alexithymia. Most studies focus on the prevalence of somatic diseases among patients with alexithymia, while the prevalence of mental disorders in these patients remains insuffi  ciently studied. Presumably, alexithymia can serve as a background for the development of mental disorders such as anxiety, depressive, and mixed anxiety-depressive disorders. The aim of the study is to investigate the correlation between alexithymia and mental disorders, somatic diseases, and suicidal thoughts in patients.Material and methods. A total of 184 outpatients (107 women and 77 men) with various illnesses were examined. Clinical rating was conducted using the TAS, HADS, and MADRS scales. Additionally, medical history was collected.Results. A higher incidence of mental disorders was detected in patients with alexithymia (correlation coeffi  cient 0.71). Depression was most frequently observed in these patients (73.5%), followed by anxiety disorder and mixed anxietydepressive disorder (13.2%). Patients with alexithymia also had a higher incidence of psychosomatic disorders (correlation coeffi  cient 0.68), with multiple psychosomatic diseases usually occurring in the same person. Moreover, a higher incidence of hypertension (47%), ischemic heart disease (25%), skin diseases such as neurodermatitis, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and others (59.6%), gastrointestinal diseases such as peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome (28.7%), bronchial asthma (8.8%), thyrotoxicosis (0.7%), and rheumatoid arthritis (0.7%) was detected in patients with alexithymia. As the degree of alexithymia increased, suicidal thoughts were more frequent and severe (correlation coeffi  cient 0.74).Conclusion. The hypothesis of the correlation between alexithymia and the development of mental and psychosomatic disorders and the appearance of suicidal thoughts has been confi rmed.