Alexithymic Feature in Digestive Diseases

A comparative study was conducted on the psychological features of chronic pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis and the irritable colon syndrome by means of psychological tests and interviews. The patients with irritable colon syndrome were found to be the most neurotic of all, whereas tho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychotherapy and psychosomatics 1979-01, Vol.32 (1/4), p.191-203
Main Authors: Nakagawa, Tetsuya, Sugita, Mineyasu, Nakai, Yoshihide, Ikemi, Yujiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affective Symptoms - etiology
Alexithymia
Chronic Disease
Cognition Disorders - psychology
Colitis, Ulcerative - psychology
Colonic Diseases, Functional - psychology
Female
Gastrointestinal Diseases - psychology
Humans
Interview, Psychological
Male
Middle Aged
Pancreatitis - psychology
Peptic Ulcer - psychology
Personality Assessment
Psychological Tests
Social Adjustment
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Summary:A comparative study was conducted on the psychological features of chronic pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis and the irritable colon syndrome by means of psychological tests and interviews. The patients with irritable colon syndrome were found to be the most neurotic of all, whereas those with the definite type of chronic pancreatitis and ulcerative colitis presented prominent alexithymic characteristics. About one half of the patients having peptic ulcer showed alexithymic features. Despite their neurotic tendencies shown on the psychological tests, the patients with the suspicious type of chronic pancreatitis were socially better adjusted than those with irritable colon syndrome. It was also noted that the concept of alexithymia needs to be elucidated by including such factors as over-adaptation to the environment, certain distorted life habits and lack of bodily sensations.
ISSN:0033-3190
1423-0348
DOI:10.1159/000287387