Alexithymia and schizophrenias.
The purpose of this study is to verify whether an increasing degree of alexithymia correlates with a prevalence of negative over positive symptoms. The framework of the research is phenomenologically oriented conception of the illness-coping vulnerability paradigm. Schizophrenic basic symptoms as markers of schizotropic process activity were assessed with the Frankfurter Beschwerde-Fragebogen, and cognitive features of the personological matrix were investigated using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Our findings on a sample of 20 longitudinally followed outpatients advocate the hypothesis that among those factors characterizing the tendency towards the nonparanoid prototype of schizophrenia, impairment of language capacity and alexithymia may have a relevant role.
Stanghellini
G
G
Psychiatric Service, Florence, Italy.
Ricca
V
V
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012564:Schizophrenic Language; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013850:Thinking