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Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases pp 195–211Cite as

Psychopathology of Alexithymia and Multiple Sclerosis

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Part of the book series: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Neurological Disease ((NSND))

Abstract

The notion of alexithymia was introduced by Sifneos (Psychother Psychosom 22:255–62, 1973) to define a set of affective and cognitive characteristics observed in patients with psychosomatic diseases. Alexithymia appears to be a multidimensional and transnosographic concept ranging from normal to pathological, and it is important to regard alexithymia as a disorder of emotional regulation, which can be found in different populations and not only in somatic diseases.

We present here the many theories of alexithymia (cognitive, neuropsychological, cultural, psychological (attachment theory), and psychoanalytical conceptions) and some evaluation tools to assess alexithymia (quantitative methods: TAS, BIQ) or qualitative methods (Rorschach, analysis of discourse). Alexithymia has been frequently observed in subjects with MS, reflecting a form of emotional disturbance related to the traumatic aspects of the disease. But it may also constitute a form of defense by the freezing or the denial of emotions, which allows patients to adapt psychologically to the situation by reducing distress. It is necessary to take these problems of emotional regulation into account and above all to understand what meaning the patient gives to these difficulties.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et de Psychologie Médicale, Université de Bourgogne, Esplanade Erasme, Dijon, 21000, France

    Khadija Chahraoui Ph.D.

  2. Laboratoire De Psychopathologie Et Psychologie Médicale, Université De Bourgogne, Dijon, France

    Emmanuelle Dieu Ph.D.

  3. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Dijon, Service De Psychiatrie Adulte Et Addictologie – Service De Neurologie, Boulevard Jeanne D’arc, Dijon, 21000, France

    Emmanuelle Dieu Ph.D.

  4. Department of Neurology, Centre of Epidemiology of the Populations EA 4184, University Hospital of Dijon, 14 rue Gaffarel, 21000, Dijon, France

    Thibault Moreau M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Khadija Chahraoui Ph.D.
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  2. Emmanuelle Dieu Ph.D.
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  3. Thibault Moreau M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Thibault Moreau M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pellegrin, INSERM U 862, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, France

    Bruno Brochet

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Chahraoui, K., Dieu, E., Moreau, T. (2015). Psychopathology of Alexithymia and Multiple Sclerosis. In: Brochet, B. (eds) Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases. Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Neurological Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18464-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18464-7_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18463-0

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