Alexithymia, affective disorders and substance abuse: possible cross-relationships.

Alexithymia is a syndrome manifesting affective, cognitive, and perceptual social defects, which include diminished affective-interpretive abilities. These abilities have been observed to be decreased in opiate abuse, major depression, and premenstrual depressive disorder, but increased in cocaine abuse and manic states. Conditions associated with decreased affective-interpretive abilities are also associated with decreased central catecholamine levels. Conversely, conditions associated with increased interpretive abilities have increased central catecholamine levels. Central catecholamine may be hypothesized as an etiological factor in the development of alexithymia.