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Cited by 171Eating Disorders and BehaviorsPsychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Alexithymia, depression, and treatment outcome in bulimia nervosa

de Groot, Janet M, Rodin, Gary, Olmsted, Marion P·1995·Comprehensive Psychiatry
DOI 10.1016/0010-440x(95)90099-h
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Abstract

Disturbances in emotional awareness, sometimes referred to as alexithymia, have been hypothesized to contribute to the development of binge/purge symptoms among women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and/or are considered secondary to the state of depression and/or disordered eating. The present study was designed to assess alexithymia among women with BN, to evaluate the interrelationship between alexithymia, depression, and somatic symptoms, and to determine whether an intensive group psychotherapy program contributes to a reduction in the degree of alexithymia. Thirty-one of 50 BN women (62%) who completed The Toronto Hospital Day Hospital Program for Eating Disorders (DHP) were administered pretreatment and posttreatment questionnaires. Findings from this clinical sample were compared with those from 20 non-eating-disordered women who completed the same battery. Using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), significantly more BN women were alexithymic at pretreatment (61.3%) and post-treatment (32.3%) than in the comparison group (5.0%), even when depression was controlled for. At discharge, abstinence from binge/purge episodes was associated with a significant reduction in alexithymia, although there was a significant correlation between TAS scores, depression, and vomit frequency. Alexithymia among BN women is not simply a concomitant of disordered eating. Its partial reversibility following an intensive psychotherapy program may be a direct effect of the treatment and/or may be secondary to a reduction in depressive and/or binge/purge symptoms.

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  • Group therapy sessions seem to reduce self-reported alexithymia in a range of clinical groups, such as those with heart disease, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder.

    “Attempts have been made to reduce alexithymia through therapeutic intervention, with group therapy sessions seeming to reduce self-reported alexithymia in a range of clinical groups, such as those with heart disease (Beresnevaite, 2000) and bulimia nervosa (de Groot et al., 1995), and panic disorder (Michael Rufer et al., 2010).”

    From Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review (2021) · cites this paper as de Groot et al., 1995

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Authors
de Groot, J. M., Rodin, G., & Olmsted, M. P.
Affiliations
University of Toronto (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Comprehensive Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1995-01
Volume
36
Issue
1
Pages
53-60
ISSN
0010-440X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/0010-440x(95)90099-h
OpenAlex
W1985088673
Cited by
171
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 10
FWCI
3.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Comprehensive Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
alexithymia, bulimia nervosa, depression, emotional awareness, group therapy, day hospital treatment, binge-purge behavior, vomiting, treatment outcomes, women
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Affective Symptoms, Awareness, Bulimia, Day Care, Medical, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Personality Assessment, Psychotherapy, Group, Somatoform Disorders, Treatment Outcome

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