Alexithymia - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Alexithymia is the inability to recognize and express one's emotional state.

In addition to not being aware of their feelings, and having difficulty describing them, alexithymic patients have problems in distinguishing emotional states from physiological perceptions. At the same time, these people are not able to interpret the emotions of others and present a reduced imaginative and dreamlike capacity, sometimes non-existent.

The alexithymic subjects also tend to establish relationships of strong dependence or, in the absence of it, they prefer isolation.

Among the main causes of alexithymia must be considered the relationship with parents during childhood, on which the psycho-emotional development of each individual depends. The disorder can also depend on growth in a debilitating environment, which lacks an adequate emotional relationship that allows the child to develop his cognitive abilities and the ability to modulate his emotional state.

Belonging to a very authoritarian family or separation from parents (even if only for short periods), an affective deficiency or a traumatic event can produce pathogenic effects on the subject, which presents difficulties in understanding and adequately communicating emotions and moods .

Alexithymia can be found in the context of Asperger's syndrome and personality disorders (in particular, antisocial and narcissistic). Furthermore, this manifestation can occur in case of post-traumatic stress disorder and in subjects with traumatic or acquired brain injury.

Alexithymia is related to numerous physical psychosomatic disorders (eg gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension and sexual dysfunction) and represents one of the risk factors for the development of psychological conditions, such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa, substance abuse, depression and disorders anxiety.