Alexithymia and suicidal ideation: A 12-month follow-up study in a general population (original) (raw)
Related papers
Alexithymia and Suicide Risk in Psychiatric Disorders: A Mini-Review
Frontiers in psychiatry, 2017
It is well known that alexithymic individuals may show significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, and psychological suffering than non-alexithymics. There is an increasing evidence that alexithymia may be considered a risk factor for suicide, even simply increasing the risk of development of depressive symptoms or per se. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative mini-review was to elucidate a possible relationship between alexithymia and suicide risk. The majority of reviewed studies pointed out a relationship between alexithymia and an increased suicide risk. In several studies, this relationship was mediated by depressive symptoms. In conclusion, the importance of alexithymia screening in everyday clinical practice and the evaluation of clinical correlates of alexithymic traits should be integral parts of all disease management programs and, especially, of suicide prevention plans and interventions. However, limitations of studies are discussed and must be considered.
Alexithymia in suicide attempters
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1996
Taiminen TJ, Saarijärvi S, Helenius H, Keskinen A, Korpilahti T. Alexithymia in suicide attempters. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996: 93: 195–198. © Munksgaard 1996.Alexithymia seems to share some common features with psychological constriction, a phenomenon described in suicidal individuals. Fifty suicide attempters were interviewed within 24 h after arrival at a hospital, and measures of lethality of the attempt, suicidal intent, depression and alexithymia were carried out with structured instruments. Almost all the attempters were depressive, and about half of them were also alexithymic. However, alexithymia was not more prevalent in this population than in non-suicidal depressive patients. Depression and alexithymia correlated significantly with each other, but there was no correlation between alexithymia and lethality of the suicide attempt or suicidal intent. The authors conclude that alexithymia in suicide attempters seems to be associated with depression, but not with suicidality per se. Therefore, measurement of alexithymia may not yield extra information in suicide risk assessment.
2020
Suicide attempt, suicidal ideation and hopelessness levels in major depressive patients with and without alexithymia Objective: It is known that hopelessness and alexithymia levels are increased in patients with depressive disorder. In the literature, reports are suggesting that high levels of hopelessness in patients with depressive disorder increase suicide attempts and ideations. Here we aimed to investigate whether there are any differences in terms of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and hopelessness levels in major depressive disorder patients with and without alexithymia. Method: In this study, 99 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to structured interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I/CV) and 50 healthy subjects were included. Sociodemographic questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) were administered to patients and controls. Additionally...
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019
Depression affects around 4-10% of the general population in England. Depression can often lead to behaviors and thoughts related to suicide and aggression, which have a social and economic burden to the United Kingdom. One construct that has been theorized as having an association with these behaviors is alexithymia. People with alexithymia have difficulties identifying and describing their emotional experiences. To date, there is no consensus on types or causes of alexithymia. Whilst the literature evidences a strong relationship between alexithymia and suicidality and aggression, little is known about the nature of this relationship. The present article will attempt to describe the extant literature on this relationship, drawing out some of the contentions and unanswered questions.
Alexithymia and suicidality in panic disorder
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2001
To evaluate the prevalence of suicidal behavior in patients with panic disorder (PD) and to study the role of alexithymia (AL), an affect component, as a predictor of suicidal behavior in PD, we compared 42 patients with PD with or without agoraphobia with 24 healthy controls with regards to depression, AL and suicide risk. Only 5% of the PD patients reported previous suicide attempts. A higher frequency of positive AL (score > 73) was found among the PD patients (39% v 4% among the controls). PD patients had a higher suicide risk and AL as compared to controls, but only the increased suicide risk reached statistical significance. AL subjects had higher suicide risk scores as compared to non-AL subjects. Significant correlations were found between the AL score and suicide risk, although the most significant correlation was, as expected, between the depression level and the suicide risk. A low rate of previous suicide attempts was found in the PD group, perhaps reflecting the low comorbidity in our sample. We suggest that AL may have a role in the causation of suicidal behavior in PD patients, although further studies should re-examine this issue with larger samples.
Alexithymia and Suicide Ideation in a Sample of Patients with Binge Eating Disorder
Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 2012
Objective. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between alexithymia and suicide ideation in 80 adult outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of binge eating disorder (BED). Methods. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20); suicide ideation was assessed with the Scale of Suicide Ideation (SSI); severity of BED was assessed with the Binge Eating Scale (BES); and depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated, respectively, with the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (Ham-A). Results. Prevalence of current suicide ideation was 27.5% (n = 22) in this sample and 10 subjects (12.5%) had attempted suicide at some time in their lives. Subjects with alexithymia had more significant suicide ideation, a higher prevalence of current suicide ideation, and more previous suicide attempts than those without alexithymia. In a linear regression model, higher MADRS scores and higher scores on the Difficulty in Identifying Feelings/Difficulty in Describing Feelings dimensions of the TAS-20 were associated with increased suicide ideation. Discussion. Suicidal behavior is no less common in BED than in other eating disorders. Individuals with BED may show increased suicide ideation, especially in the presence of alexithymia and depressive symptoms, even if these symptoms are subclinical. The authors also discuss limitations of this study and future research needs. (Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2012;18:5-11) KEY WORDS: alexithymia, binge eating disorder, suicide ideation, depression, emotions Coined by Sifneos, the term "alexithymia" was introduced to designate a cluster of cognitive and affective characteristics that were observed among patients with psychosomatic diseases. 1 The construct of alexithymia, which was formulated based on clinical investigations, is multifaceted and includes four distinct characteristics: 2,3 a. Difficulty in identifying and describing feelings b. Difficulty in distinguishing feelings from bodily sensations c. Diminution of fantasy d. Concrete and poorly introspective thinking. An increasing body of research indicates that features of alexithymia exist not only in classic psychosomatic disorders but also in psychiatric conditions such as eating disorders (EDs) and other Axis I disorders. Bruch suggested that difficulty distinguishing and describing feelings is one of the core problems in EDs, related to a sense of general inadequacy and a lack of control over one's life. 7 Building on Bruch's suggestions, Taylor et al. conceptualized EDs as disorders of affect regulation. 2 In fact, there is evidence that patients with EDs have considerably higher lev-
Alexithymia, Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour in Moroccan Psychoactive Substance Users
2021
Alexithymia is an emotion regulation problem that may be related to suicidality, especially in patients with SUD.The study aimed at estimating the prevalence of alexithymia in Moroccan psychoactive substances users, and to establish the links between alexithymia and suicidal ideation and behaviors, anxiety and depression in drug-dependent patients.We also aimed to elucidate if alexithymia predicts suicidal thoughts and behaviors in these consumers. The study included 451 consecutively admitted patients with substance use. Consumers were examined with the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)Among substance-dependent individuals, 72.7% was identified as a group with alexithymia. Current age and age at first substance use were lower in the alexithymic group (p<0.01).The mean STAI-Y state and C-SSRS scores were higher in the group with alexithymia (p<0...
Objectives: A cross-sectional empirical design was used to compare differences in alexithymia between Australian psychiatric and community samples and examine the influence of sample type on the relation between alexithymia and psychological distress. Method: Psychiatric outpatients (N = 151) and a convenience sample of the general community (N = 216) completed questionnaires measuring alexithymia and psychological distress. Results: Alexithymia was several times more prevalent in the psychiatric sample than the community sample. While the psychiatric sample reported greater psychological distress, no difference was found in the strength of the association between alexithymia and psychological distress between the study samples. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the pervasive problem alexithymia presents within the Australian psychiatric population and the importance of increasing recognition of alexithymia for the future research about and treatment of psychiatric patients. C 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin. Psychol. 00:1–12, 2016.
Are alexithymia and depression distinct or overlapping constructs?: A study in a general population
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2001
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and depression in a general population sample (N ؍ 1,888), as measured by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21), using factor analysis. The items of the TAS-20 and the BDI-21 loaded on separate factors with only a minor overlap concerning physical worries. However, in a subset of subjects, who were both alexithymic and depressed, loadings were highly overlapping. These findings suggest that alexithymia and depression may be highly associated. Another conclusion might be that psychometric properties of the TAS should be further developed to make differentiation between alexithymia and depression possible.
Depression is strongly associated with alexithymia in the general population
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2000
Objective: This study examines how alexithymia and de-was associated with several sociodemographic factors if depression was not taken into account. However, after including pression are related to each other in men and women in a sample of Finnish general population (n ϭ 2018). Methods: depression in the logistic regression models, only depression and low life satisfaction were associated with alexithymia, both Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Llevel of depression was assessed in men and women. Conclusion: These results suggest that alexithymia has a close relationship to depression in the gen-using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Life satisfaction was estimated with a structured scale. Results: The eral population. The impact of social factors on alexithymia may be primarily explained by depression. Depression must prevalence of alexithymia was 12.8% in men and 8.2% in women. However, the prevalence of alexithymia was 32.1% be taken into account as a confounding factor when studying alexithymia in general populations due to the strong associa-among those having BDI scores of у 9, but only 4.3% among the nondepressed subjects (p Ͻ 0.001). The BDI scores ex-tion between alexithymia and depression.