Eating disordered patients: personality, alexithymia, and implications for primary care.

摘要: BACKGROUND: Eating disorders are becoming more apparent in primary care. Descriptions of character traits related to people with eating rarely reported the care literature and there is little awareness implications alexithymia--a concept that defines inability identify or express emotion. We hypothesised many individuals active have alexithymic a tendency somatize their distress. AIM: To analyse degree alexithymia selected group women recovery, recommend responses by members team might meet needs such individuals. METHOD: Letters were sent 200 female Disorders Association who had agreed participate research. Seventy-nine volunteered complete four postal questionnaires. This gave response rate 38.5%. Responders categorised into three groups--anorexic, bulimic, recovered--using criteria Inventory (EDI-2). The results 16PF5 Personality (16PF5) Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) analysed using one-way analysis variance (ANOVA) correlated Pearson's correlation. A biographical questionnaire was also completed. RESULTS: In all subgroups, high scores achieved on 'apprehension social sensitivity', while significant differences for 'privateness': scale measures ability talk about feelings confide others. On TAS-20, 65% anorexic 83% bulimic scored range compared 33% recovered group. There negative correlation between skills as 'social emotional expressivity' 16PF5. CONCLUSION: this study emphasise difference those privacy, introversion, alexithymia, recovered. These give potential helpers an important indication areas can both block facilitate they act reminder presenting symptoms other psychosomatic conditions outward presentation internal conflict. It suggested effective screening assessment will appropriate prompt therapeutic response. may be provided setting where training has occurred.