Suicidal Ideation and Alexithymia in Patients with Alcoholism: A Pilot Study

Sakuraba, S.; Kubo, Masako; Komoda, Takeshi; Yamana, Jun-Ichi

doi:10.1081/ja-200030702

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This finding is congruent with earlier work 1521. It has been reported that in recently sober alcoholics the alexithymic cognitive dimension—an inability to identify feelings and to distinguish them from bodily sensations—is related to depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

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Psychological assessment of alcoholism in males

Chaudhury¹,

Sk²,

B³

2006

Indian J Psychiatry

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Background:Little work has been done in India on the personality factors of alcoholics. These personality factors have a significant effect on treatment outcome.Aim:To study the personality characteristics, stressful life events and diagnostic utility of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and CAGE (Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-opener) Questionnaire in service personnel with alcohol dependence.Methods:Psychological assessment of 100 consecutive male inpatients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, and an equal number of controls matched for age, sex, occupation and regional background was carried out utilizing the MAST, CAGE Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Multiphasic Personality Questionnaire, Maudsley Personality Inventory, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Self-esteem Inventory and Presumptive Stressful Life Events scale.Results:The MAST and CAGE were of limited value in the diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Alcoholics obtained significantly higher scores on state and trait anxiety, depression, mania scale, paranoia scale, schizophrenia scale, psychopathic deviance, neuroticism, extroversion, and the Presumptive Stressful Life Events scale. Alcohol-dependent individuals had significantly lower self-esteem compared with control subjects, and significantly more alcoholics were identified as alexithymic.Conclusion:Alcohol-dependent individuals show significantly high neuroticism, extroversion, anxiety, depression, psychopathic deviation, stressful life events and significantly low self-esteem as compared with normal control subjects. Significantly more alcoholics were found to be alexithymic compared with normal controls.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…It has been reported that in recently sober alcoholics the alexithymic cognitive dimension—an inability to identify feelings and to distinguish them from bodily sensations—is related to depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. The addictive behaviour of these people signifies desperate attempts at self-treatment 1521…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological assessment of alcoholism in males

Chaudhury¹,

Sk²,

B³

2006

Indian J Psychiatry

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“…In a prospective study, Hintikka et al 11 confirmed that suicidal ideation was more common among subjects with alexithymia than among non-alexithymics. Moreover, the finding of an association between the DIF dimension of TAS-20 and suicidal ideation is consistent with the results of a previous study 26 that demonstrated that the DIF dimension of the TAS-20 is often related to suicidal ideation, even in absence of depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Alexithymia, suicidal ideation, and serum lipid levels among drug-naïve outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Berardis

Serroni

Marini

et al. 2014

Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr.

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Objective: As obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common psychiatric disorder with a significant suicide risk, the individuation of potential biomarkers of suicidality, such as cholesterol levels, may enable recognition of at-risk subjects. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: 1) evaluate potential differences in clinical and laboratory parameters between patients with and without alexithymia and compare them with healthy controls; and 2) investigate which clinical and laboratory variables were associated with suicidal ideation. Methods: 79 drug-naïve adult outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD were recruited. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), suicidal ideation was assessed with the Scale for Suicide Ideation, and depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Montgomery-Å sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Serum lipid levels of 40 healthy controls were also evaluated. Results: Alexithymic patients had altered serum lipid levels in comparison with non-alexithymics and healthy controls. Using a linear regression model, the presence of symmetry/ordering obsessions and compulsions, lower HDL-C levels, and difficulty in identifying feelings dimension of the TAS-20 were associated with higher suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Alexithymic individuals with OCD may exhibit dysregulation of the cholesterol balance, which in turn may be linked to suicidal ideation. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate this potential association.

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“…Mood and anxiety disorders, for example, double the risk for SUDs (122). Relatedly, alexithymia (i.e., an emotional processing deficit, whereby one experiences difficulty identifying or describing one’s emotions), has been identified as a pertinent risk factor for SUD (e.g., up to 2/3 of patients with SUD exhibit alexithymia) (123) and may increase the risk of negative outcomes such as suicide and self-harm in those who develop SUD (124–126). Since alexithymia predicts poor emotional regulation (127), which in turn predicts poor response to intervention [e.g., Ref.…”

Section: Putative Underpinnings Of Distinct Developmental Trajectoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurocognitive Precursors of Substance Misuse Corresponding to Risk, Resistance, and Resilience Pathways: Implications for Prevention Science

2019

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Studies of substance misuse prevention generally focus on characteristics that typify risk, with the assumption that the prevalence of the problem will be optimally reduced by identifying, targeting, and reducing or eliminating risk factors. However, this risk-centered approach neglects variations in individual-level and environmental characteristics that portend differential pathways that are distinguishable by timing of substance use initiation (e.g., early versus delayed), the likelihood of use escalation versus eventual desistance, and enduring abstinence, despite exposure to significant risk factors. Considering the various underpinnings of these distinct substance use trajectories is critical to a more nuanced understanding of the effects, potency, and malleability of factors that are known to increase risk or confer protection. Here, we discuss three pathways relative to substance use patterns and predictors in the context of adversity, a well-known, highly significant influence on propensity for substance misuse. The first pathway is designated as “high risk” based on early onset of substance use, rapid escalation, and proneness to substance use disorders. Individuals who defy all odds and eventually exhibit adaptive developmental outcomes despite an initial maladaptive reaction to adversity, are referred to as “resilient.” However, another categorization that has not been adequately characterized is “resistant.” Resistant individuals include those who do not exhibit problematic substance use behaviors (e.g., early onset and escalation) and do not develop substance use disorders or other forms of psychopathology, despite significant exposure to factors that normally increase the propensity for such outcomes (e.g. trauma and/or adversity). In this paper, we apply this conceptualization of risk, resistance, and resilience for substance misuse to a more fine-grained analysis of substance use pathways and their corresponding patterns (e.g., non-use, initiation, escalation, desistance). The significance of the progression of neurocognitive functioning over the course of development is discussed as well as how this knowledge may be translated to make a science-based determination of intervention targets. This more encompassing theoretical model has direct implications for primary prevention and clinical approaches to disrupt risk pathways and to optimize long-term outcomes.

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Suicidal Ideation and Alexithymia in Patients with Alcoholism: A Pilot Study

Abstract: Alcoholic patients with intensive suicidal ideation accompanied with alexithymia are characterized by the inability to communicate feelings. Therefore, the possibility of a suicidal attempt in those patients should always be kept in mind even though no suicide message is expressed.

Cited by 31 publications

References 9 publications

Psychological assessment of alcoholism in males

Psychological assessment of alcoholism in males

Alexithymia, suicidal ideation, and serum lipid levels among drug-naïve outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Neurocognitive Precursors of Substance Misuse Corresponding to Risk, Resistance, and Resilience Pathways: Implications for Prevention Science

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