Alexithymia: relationship to personality disorders

Previous studies suggested an association of alexithymia with other personality models, as well as with various psychiatric syndromes. However, with regard to current diagnostic systems, the clinical validity of alexithymia remains to be established. In a sample of 182 psychiatric outpatients, the lifetime prevalence of DSM-III-R axis I disorders was determined by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) interviews. In addition, DSM-III-R personality disorders were assessed using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised (PDQ-R). On the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), 17% of the sample scored in the alexithymic range. A series of stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed, exhibiting no relationship between alexithymia and any of the DSM-III-R axis I lifetime diagnoses. In contrast, schizotypal, dependent, and avoidant personality dimensions, as well as a lack of histrionic features, emerged as significant predictors of alexithymia, which further supports the conceptualization of alexithymia as a personality dimension.