Alexithymia and the emotional symptoms of autism
نویسنده
چکیده
Alexithymia and the emotional symptoms of autism 2 Abstract (222 words) It is widely accepted that autism is associated with disordered emotion processing, and in particular, with deficits of emotional reciprocity such as impaired emotion recognition and reduced empathy. However, a close examination of the literature reveals wide heterogeneity within the autistic population with respect to emotional competence. Here we argue that, where observed, emotional impairments are due to alexithymia-a condition that frequently co-occurs with autism-rather than a feature of autism per se. Alexithymia is a condition characterized by a reduced ability to identify and describe one's own emotion, but which results in reduced empathy and an impaired ability to recognize the emotions of others. We briefly review studies of emotion processing in alexithymia, and in autism, before describing a recent series of studies directly testing this 'alexithymia hypothesis'. If found to be correct, the alexithymia hypothesis has wide-reaching implications for the study of autism, and how we might best support subgroups of autistic individuals with, and without, accompanying alexithymia. Finally, we note the presence of elevated rates of alexithymia, and inconsistent reports of emotional impairments, in eating disorders, schizophrenia, substance abuse, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and anxiety disorders. We speculate that examining the contribution of alexithymia to the emotional symptoms of these disorders may bear fruit in the same way that it is starting to do in autism.
منابع مشابه
Modeling the cognitive mechanisms linking autism symptoms and anxiety in adults.
Emotional acceptance, alexithymia, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) contribute to anxiety disorders in neurotypical populations. Their association with anxiety in people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been studied. We aimed to model the contributions of these constructs on the relationship between dimensional measures of autism and anxiety. Participants were 151 adults...
متن کاملAlexithymia, not autism, predicts poor recognition of emotional facial expressions.
Despite considerable research into whether face perception is impaired in autistic individuals, clear answers have proved elusive. In the present study, we sought to determine whether co-occurring alexithymia (characterized by difficulties interpreting emotional states) may be responsible for face-perception deficits previously attributed to autism. Two experiments were conducted using psychoph...
متن کاملThe Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas, Alexithymia, and Emotional Intelligence With Somatic Symptoms in People With Somatic Symptoms Disorder
Objective: The present study was done to investigate the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas, alexithymia, and emotional intelligence with the somatic symptoms in people with somatic symptom disorder (SSD). Methods: The research population consisted of 360 people with SSD referred to the psychosomatic department of Tal...
متن کاملCommentary: Alexithymia, not autism, is associated with impaired interoception
Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in recognizing and reporting on one's own emotions (Nemiah et al., 1976). There is growing interest in alexithymia in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) since at least 50% of those with ASD experience co-occurring alexithymia (Hill et al., 2004). Impaired interoception, that is problems with perceiving one's internal bodily signals, is a candidate mechan...
متن کاملEmotional decision-making in autism spectrum disorder: the roles of interoception and alexithymia
The way choices are framed influences decision-making. These "framing effects" emerge through the integration of emotional responses into decision-making under uncertainty. It was previously reported that susceptibility to the framing effect was reduced in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to a reduced tendency to incorporate emotional information into the decision-making proc...
متن کامل