Secondary alexithymia as a state reaction in panic disorder and social phobia

In a 6-month follow-up study, a change in alexithymia was examined in two samples of 26 patients with panic disorder and 24 patients with social phobia. Before psychiatric treatment, the prevalence rate of alexithymia, measured by the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), was higher for both panic disorder (54%) and social phobia (58%) groups than for healthy persons (15%). After treatment, scores on the alexithymia constructs of difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings significantly decreased in panic disorder and social phobia patients. The overall decrease in measures of alexithymia in both groups was significantly related to reduction in anxiety, but not depression. The results suggest that secondary alexithymia related to anxiety exists as a state reaction in patients with panic disorder and social phobia.