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.