Relationship between alexithymia, dissociation and personality in psychiatric outpatients.
BACKGROUND
The relationship between alexithymia and dissociation is not known. Both mechanisms ward off overwhelming affective states; hence, this report examines the relationship between dissociation, alexithymia, depressed mood and the five-factor model of personality in a sample of psychiatric outpatients.


METHODS
One hundred and sixteen outpatients were evaluated using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), NEO Five-Factor Inventory and visual analog scales assessing depression and anxiety. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance, logistic regression and linear regression techniques.


RESULTS
Depressed mood accounted for the group differences between the global TAS and DES scores. Using DES both dimensionally and categorically with regression models, there was minimal contribution of DES or its subfactors to predict TAS.


CONCLUSIONS
These data reaffirm previous findings that dissociation fundamentally differs from alexithymia. Dissociation involves a change of one's sense, of self, whereas alexithymia reflects a cognitive state of externally oriented thinking with an inability to identify and report discrete emotions.
Wise
T N
TN
Departments of Psychiatry, The Georgetown University School of Medicine, The Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA22042, USA. thomas.wise@inova.com
Mann
L S
LS
Sheridan
M J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors