Alexithymia in patients with conversion disorder

Gülpek, Demet; Kaplan, Figen Kelemence; Kesebir, Sermin; Bora, O. Babazadeh

doi:10.3109/08039488.2013.814711

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…29 Only one study has assessed alexithymia in other functional disorders. 18 This study differs from ours in several important ways: they grouped together all types of functional neurological disorder, they used a single comparison group of healthy controls and they did not assess comorbidities. Nevertheless, they too found a higher rate of alexithymia in patients than controls, although this was higher than ours (74.5%), and they also found that this pertained to the DIF and DDF factors only.…”

Section: Discussion Alexithymiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As additional evidence for this interpretation, patients with FMS were not significantly different from controls In the last few years, several studies have examined the relationship between alexithymia and functional neurological symptoms, mainly focusing on NESs. The most common finding is that patients with NESs are no more likely to have alexithymia than patients with epileptic seizures; [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] one study has found an increased prevalence in NES, 28 although another suggests that emotional dysregulation, including alexithymia, may pertain to a small subgroup. 29 Only one study has assessed alexithymia in other functional disorders.…”

Section: Discussion Alexithymiamentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Alexithymia in the Development of Functional Motor Symptoms (Conversion Disorder)

Demartini

Petrochilos

Ricciardi

et al. 2014

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

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Section: Discussion Alexithymiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion Alexithymiamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Alexithymia in the Development of Functional Motor Symptoms (Conversion Disorder)

Demartini

Petrochilos

Ricciardi

et al. 2014

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

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“…Alexithymia, the deficient ability to perceive and verbally express emotions [25], signifies another correspondence between DD and PTSD. As representative of altered affect regulation alexithymia has been shown in DD patients [26–29], as well as in PTSD patients [30]. Frewen and colleagues reported positive correlations between alexithymia, PTSD symptom severity, dissociative symptom severity, and childhood abuse and neglect in PTSD patients, while Sondergaard and Theorell [31] determined evolving alexithymia as predictor of self-rated PTSD (but not depressive) symptoms in refugees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatoform dissociation and posttraumatic stress syndrome – two sides of the same medal? A comparison of symptom profiles, trauma history and altered affect regulation between patients with functional neurological symptoms and patients with PTSD

et al. 2017

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BackgroundHistory of traumatic experience is common in dissociative disorder (DD), and similarity of symptoms and characteristics between DD and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encouraged to consider DD as trauma-related disorder. However, conceptualization of DD as a trauma-related syndrome would critically affect diagnosis and treatment strategies. The present study addressed overlap and disparity of DD and PTSD by directly comparing correspondence of symptoms, adverse/traumatic experience, and altered affect regulation between patients diagnosed with dissociative disorder (characterized by negative functional neurological symptoms) and patients diagnosed with PTSD.MethodsSomatoform and psychoform dissociation, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, general childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, and alexithymia as index of altered affect regulation were screened with standardized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in 60 patients with DD (ICD-codes F44.4, F44.6, F44.7), 39 patients with PTSD (ICD-code F43.1), and 40 healthy comparison participants (HC).ResultsDD and PTSD patients scored higher than HC on somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom scales and alexithymia, and reported more childhood adversities and higher trauma load. PTSD patients reported higher symptom severity and more traumata than DD patients. Those 20 DD patients who met criteria of co-occuring PTSD did not differ from PTSD patients in the amount of reported symptoms of somatoform dissociation, physical and emotional childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, while emotional neglect/abuse in childhood distinguished DD patients with and without co-occuring PTSD (DD patients with co-occuring PTSD reporting more emotional maltreatment).ConclusionThe pattern of distinctive somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom severity, type of childhood and lifetime traumata, and amount of alexithymia suggests that DD and PTSD are distinctive syndromes and, therefore, challenges the conceptualization of DD as trauma-related disorder. Together with the detected close correspondence of symptom and experience profiles in DD patients with co-occuring PTSD and PTSD patients, these findings suggest that adverse/traumatic experience may intensify dissociative symptoms, but are not a necessary condition in the generation of functional neurological symptoms. Still, diagnosis and treatment of DD need to consider this impact of traumata and post-traumatic stress symptoms.

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“…Alexithymia construct emerged on the ground of psychosomatic medicine, after observation of emotional functioning of patients suffering from psychosomatic diseases, who due to lack of understanding of their emotional state were preoccupied by physical symptoms [49]. However, recent studies show that alexithymia, which is understood as a psychological trait [50] and measured by Toronto Alexithymia Scale, developed by Bagby, Parker, and Taylor [51] is not specific for only one mental disorder, but also for conversion [52], major depression, social anxiety disorder [53], panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder [54], anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa [55]. Alexithymia was found to be correlated with gambling [29] -one of self-regulatory lapses.…”

Section: Adaptive and Maladaptive Aspects Of Affect Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procrastination as a Form of Misregulation in the Context of Affect and Self-Regulation

Pietrzak

Tokarz

2016

Studia Humana

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This article aims in situating procrastination, as a specific form of affect regulation failure in context of general affect and self-regulation literature. This will be brought starting with definition of the phenomenon and its’ various forms and perspectives. Next, giving an insight into affect regulation literature. In the third step we will focus on elaborating the picture of procrastination and its’ underlying mechanisms in order to locate it in a broader domain of affect regulation as a specific form of self-regulatory lapse. A commentary regarding dealing with procrastination and effective affect regulation will be provided.

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Alexithymia in patients with conversion disorder

Cited by 20 publications

References 24 publications

The Role of Alexithymia in the Development of Functional Motor Symptoms (Conversion Disorder)

The Role of Alexithymia in the Development of Functional Motor Symptoms (Conversion Disorder)

Somatoform dissociation and posttraumatic stress syndrome – two sides of the same medal? A comparison of symptom profiles, trauma history and altered affect regulation between patients with functional neurological symptoms and patients with PTSD

Procrastination as a Form of Misregulation in the Context of Affect and Self-Regulation

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