The relationship between alexithymia, depression, and axis II psychopathology in eating disorder inpatients.

OBJECTIVE

The major purpose of this study was to examine alexithymia in relationship to depression and Axis II psychopathology in eating disorder patients.

METHOD: Fifty-three female inpatients representing three DSM-IV eating disorder diagnostic groups and 14 control subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, and the Beck Depression Inventory within the first week of their hospital admission and shortly before discharge. Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-III-R (SCID) I and II were also conducted. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the contribution of mood, diagnostic, and personality variables in predicting the alexithymia score.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: After controlling for depression, only the TAS factor, "difficulty expressing feelings," remained significantly different between groups, with the anorexia nervosa-restrictors (AN-R) having significantly higher scores than controls and bulimia nervosa patients. This factor appears to be a relatively stable personality characteristic in AN-R. The level of depression and the presence of avoidant personality disorder were the most predictable variables for the alexithymia total score.