Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T09:12:49.088Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Alexithymia in Women with Anorexia Nervosa

A Preliminary Investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Michael P. Bourke
Affiliation:
Royal Masonic Hospital, London, and Blackrock Clinic, Dublin, and St George's Hospital Medical School, London
Graeme J. Taylor*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X5
James D. A. Parker
Affiliation:
York University, Ontario
R. Michael Bagby
Affiliation:
University of Toronto and Staff Psychologist, Mood Disorders Program, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto
*
Correspondence

Abstract

The prevalence of alexithymia in 48 female anorexia nervosa patients was 77.1% compared with a prevalence of 6.7% in 30 normal female subjects, matched by age and education. Alexithymia correlated negatively with education in the anorexic patient group, but was unrelated to duration of illness, amount of weight loss, and levels of depression and of general psychoneurotic pathology.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acklin, M. W. & Alexander, G. (1988) Alexithymia and somatization. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 176, 343350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised) (DSM–III–R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Bagby, R. M., Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D. A., et al (1990) Cross-validation of the factor structure of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34, 4751.Google Scholar
Bagby, R. M., Taylor, G. J. & Ryan, D. (1986) Toronto Alexithymia Scale: relationship with personality and psychopathology measures. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 45, 207215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birtchnell, J., Evans, C. & Kennard, J. (1988) The total score of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index: a useful and valid measure of psychoneurotic pathology. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 61, 255266.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bourke, M. P., Taylor, G. & Crisp, A. H. (1985) Symbolic functioning in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 19, 273278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruch, H. (1985) Four decades of eating disorders. In Handbook of Psychotherapy for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia (eds Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E.), pp. 718. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Burgess, P. M., Mazzocco, L. & Campbell, I. M. (1987) Discriminant validity of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 60, 6169.Google Scholar
Casper, R. C. (1990) Personality features of women with good outcome from restricting anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine, 52, 156170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crisp, A. H. (1980) Anorexia Nervosa: Let Me Be. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Crown, S. & Crisp, A. H. (1979) Manual of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. London: Hodder & Stoughton.Google Scholar
Fernandez, A., Sriram, T. G., Rajkumar, S., et al (1989) Alexithymic characteristics in rheumatoid arthritis: a controlled study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 51, 4550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., Polivy, J., et al (1984) Comparison between weight-preoccupied women and anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 255266.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P. & Polivy, J., et al (1983) Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 1534.3.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E. & O'Shaughnessy, M. (1985) The validity of the distinction between bulimia with and without anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 581587.Google ScholarPubMed
Goodsitt, A. (1983) Self-regulatory disturbances in eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 5160.Google Scholar
Haviland, M. G., Shaw, D. G., Cummings, M. A., et al (1988a) Alexithymia: subscales and relationship to depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 50, 164170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haviland, M. G., Shaw, D. G., MacMurray, J. P., et al (1988b) Validation of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale with substance abusers. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 50, 8187.Google Scholar
Hsu, L. K. G. & Crisp, A. H. (1980) The Crown–Crisp Experiential Index (CCEI) profile in anorexia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 567573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krystal, H. (1979) Alexithymia and psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 33, 1731.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marty, P. & de M'Uzan, M. (1963) La “pensee operatoire.” Revue Francaise de Psychanalyse, 27 (suppl.), 13451356.Google Scholar
Nemiah, J. C., Freyberger, H. & Sifneos, P. E. (1976) Alexithymia: a view of the psychosomatic process. In Modern Trends in Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 3 (ed. Hill, O.), pp. 430439. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Parker, J. D. A., Taylor, G. J. & Bagby, R. M. (1989) The alexithymia construct: relationship with sociodemographic variables and intelligence. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 30, 434441.Google Scholar
Polivy, J., Herman, C. P. & Howard, K. I. (1988) Restraint Scale: assessment of dieting. In Dictionary of Behavioral Assessment Techniques (eds Herson, M. & Bellack, A. S.), pp. 377380. New York: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Taylor, G. J. (1984) Alexithymia: concept, measurement, and implications for treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 725732.Google Scholar
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., Ryan, D. P., et al (1988) Criterion validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Psychosomatic Medicine, 50, 500509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., Ryan, D. P., et al (1990a) Validation of the alexithymia construct: a measurement-based approach. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 290297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D. A. & Bagby, R. M. (1990b) A preliminary investigation of alexithymia in men with psychoactive substance dependence. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 12281230.Google Scholar
Toner, B. B., Garfinkel, P. E. & Garner, D. M. (1986) Long-term follow-up of anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine, 48, 520529.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.