Alexithymia: Should This Personality Disorder Be Considered During Treatment of Patients With Mental Illness?
Alexithymia is characterized by impairment of an individual's ability to experience, identify, and express emotions, and is associated with impaired emotional intelligence and an externally oriented cognitive style. There has been increasing interest in the phenomenon, with numerous peer-reviewed articles published recently. Alexithymia may occur in patients with many psychiatric disorders, and more severe alexithymia is related to worse outcome. However, many clinicians remain unaware of the issue. The current article discusses alexithymia and its importance in the field of mental health.
Roy R
RR
Reeves
Deidra
D
Johnson-Walker
D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome