title: Somatically expressed psychological distress and alexithymia in adolescence--reflecting unbearable emotions?
abstract: The characteristics of five 11- to 15-year-old patients with somatic symptoms and alexithymia in conjunction with psychological distress are reported. The findings are compared with the existing literature. Preceding somatic disorders and difficulties at school and in peer relationships were found. Family violence was evident in two cases. We postulate that the developmental tasks of adolescence were complicated by the threat of disability, disease, and death. The parents were incapable of expressing their feelings either in general or because of their recent traumatic experiences. Our findings suggest that unbearable emotions often precede the combination of preadolescent and adolescent alexithymia and somatization in clinically relevant cases.
authors.affiliation: Oulu University Hospital, Department of Child Psychiatry, Kajaanintie 50, FI-90220 Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Linna
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Räsänen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D015283:Citalopram; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors