“When I looked at the features of alexithymia and Asperger’s syndrome, I saw very much largely an overlie. Indeed, to some extent, I see these as close to synonyms,” says Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, a professor in the department of psychiatry at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. “The key issue in Asperger’s syndrome and alexithymia is understanding and dealing with emotions, and being able to express emotions. This is central to both, and that is why I see them in the broader autism phenotype of Asperger’s syndrome.”
Similarities between both have been a topic of concern for many researchers. Two studies have shown that 85 percent of participants with autistic spectrum disorder scored high in alexithymia. Since alexithymia is not yet classified in the DSM-IV, it is very difficult to diagnose.
Some actually consider alexithymia as a component of depression. In the results from a six-month follow-up study at the Department of Psychiatry, Research and Development Unit, Kuopio University Hospital in Kuopio, Finland, researchers Kirsi Honkalampi, Jukka Hintikka, Pirjo Saarinen, Johannes Lehtonen, and Heimo Viinamäki found that “alexithymic patients with depressive disorders do not appear to form a stable group. On the contrary, alexithymia seems to change as a function of depression. In the light of these results, alexithymia appears not to be a stable personality trait among depressed patients, and furthermore, it seems possible that alexithymic features respond to psychiatric treatment.”
Living or knowing someone with alexithymia is difficult, because we are unable to understand their lack of emotions. Feelings we expect to be reciprocated are often met with detached responses. This can be challenging in any relationship. And though there is no overnight treatment to help individuals, new studies have found that affection — along with cognitive behavioral therapy — may help to teach new ways of communication.
“The alexithymic tendencies of not understanding and communicating emotions would be mitigated by training these individuals both in proper ways to express positive emotions to people around them, and to recognize those emotions when coming from other people,” says Hesse.
Hesse continues, “We have a great deal of evidence that people who communicate more affection are better at building satisfying relationships. Thus, if we train people high in alexithymia to communicate more affection, we would hopefully see some of those same benefits. My hope would be that by educating individuals about their alexithymic tendencies and giving them skills to try to cope with those tendencies, they might be better equipped to begin and maintain close, successful, meaningful relationships.”
For Christina, it was somehow a relief to learn about her husband’s diagnosis. “I have been emotionally starved for all these years, thinking it was my fault,” she explains. “That I wasn’t good enough, or that I wasn’t conversing right to bring out his touchy-feely side.” Having a word for his behavior makes it easier. “I can now have compassion as I understand the disorder and can begin to let my frustration subside as I move forward.”
This article was originally published in the Fall 2011 issue of Brain World Magazine.
