Alexithymia in somatoform disorder patients with chronic pain.
The prevalence of alexithymia in fifty-five motor vehicle accident survivors who had chronic pain complaints and met DSM-III-R criteria for somatoform pain disorder was 53%. Alexithymic and non-alexithymic patients did not differ on self-reports of current pain severity or in the number of pain locations. Alexithymic patients were found to use significantly more words to describe their pain, suggesting they may have a more diffuse style in communicating their pain experience.
Cox
B J
BJ
Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Canada.
Kuch
K
K
Parker
J D
JD
Shulman
I D
ID
Evans
R J
RJ
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D014705:Verbal Behavior