[The relationship between alexithymia and morbidity]

Alexithymia is a tendency to experience psychological distress in the form of somatic symptoms. Alexithymia is a syndrome that is defined by the inability to recognize and express emotions. It is a common feature in patients with psychoactive abuse disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychosomatic disorders such as gastrointestinal complaints, migraine, dermatological symptoms, and irritable bowel syndrome. Alexithymia is associated with a failure to use adaptive affect regulation such as modulating arousal, appropriately expressing or suppressing emotions, tolerating painful emotions and cognitive assimilation. Alexithymia is presumed to play a very important role in the pathogenesis of medically unexplained physical symptoms and it is a risk factor for a psychosomatic condition. It is of clinical importance that the majority of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms are able to recognize that their physical symptoms may be related to their depression or anxiety disorder which are the most common mental disorders.