title: The stability of alexithymia in depressed patients.
abstract: The stability of alexithymia as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and its relationship to depression were investigated in 50 depressed inpatients. The test-retest coefficient for TAS over a 5-day period was 0.57 (p < 0.001). A reliable change index for depressed mood indicated that mood covaried with the TAS, but changes in TAS were not clinically significant. The data support alexithymia as a stable personality construct.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results