A History of the Alexithymia Concept and Its Explanatory Models: An Epistemological Perspective.

Front Psychiatry

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Health, University Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain.

Published: January 2020

Alexithymia, as a theoretical psychotherapeutic construct, finds its origins in psychosomatic medicine, actually being quite old. However, beyond the specific observations and case studies, their characterization and systematization is relatively recent. However, from an epistemological point of view, it remains the subject of debate and therefore remains outside the conventional diagnostic guidelines. Possibly, its history, closely linked to psychoanalysis, as well as the lack of clear empirical references, has turned the alexithymia construct before into a good descriptive and comprehensive framework than in a precise diagnostic model. In this article it is, following the thread conduits of the historical perspective, to deepen these epistemological aspects.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7005782PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.01026DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

history alexithymia
4
alexithymia concept
4
concept explanatory
4
explanatory models
4
models epistemological
4
epistemological perspective
4
perspective alexithymia
4
alexithymia theoretical
4
theoretical psychotherapeutic
4
psychotherapeutic construct
4

Similar Publications

"Longing is good": proof-of-concept for a novel psychological intervention to tackle self-blaming emotions.

Front Psychol

January 2025

Department of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Many people with depression, for which self-blame plays a key role, are not amenable to current standard psychological treatments. This calls for novel self-guided interventions, which require less attention and motivation. The present study sought to establish proof-of-concept for a novel self-guided intervention in a non-clinical sample, which prompts people to transform self-blaming feelings into "longing," as a related unpleasant, but presumably more adaptive and approach-related emotion, which plays a key role in many musical and literary genres but has been largely overlooked in clinical research.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This case report explores the interplay between childhood trauma, social phobia, psychotic symptoms, and minority stress in a 27-year-old transgender male. L presented with psychotic symptoms, including auditory verbal hallucinations and self-referential phenomena, which were accompanied by a history of childhood sexual and emotional abuse, as well as social phobia. These challenges were further compounded by experiences of stigma, rejection, and stress related to his gender identity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The present study assessed two theory-driven mediators of the effects of a family group cognitive-behavioral (FGCB) preventive intervention for youth of parents with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) or dysthymia on long-term youth psychopathology symptoms and diagnoses.

Method: Sample included 180 parents ( = 41.9, 89% female, 82% White, non-Hispanic) and one of their children/adolescents ages 9-15 years ( = 11.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Creativity and the production of artwork can have an impact on the course and treatment of comorbid severe mental illness and neurodegeneration. We report on a 70-year-old male patient with highly original artistic behavior, who suffered from lifelong recurrent major depression and subsequently developed symptoms of progressive bulbar palsy (PBP). In the context of a systematic literature review, we detail the patient's personal and artistic biographies and portray artwork from his artistic portfolio together with his disease history, clinical examination, psychopathological and neuropsychological evaluations, blood and cerebrospinal fluid analyses, neuroimaging, neurophysiological testing, and psychotherapeutic treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can occur in summer as well, leading to episodes of depression characterized by low mood, fatigue, and loss of appetite that improve in winter.
  • A 46-year-old male patient was diagnosed with major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern, experiencing recurrent summertime depression symptoms.
  • Treatment involved desvenlafaxine, achieving remission within four to six weeks, emphasizing the need to recognize seasonal affective disorders in warm climates and potential environmental triggers like heat stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!