Alexithymia (from the Greek words λεξις and θυμος, literally "without words for emotions") was a term coined by Peter Sifneos in 1972 to describe people who appeared to have deficiencies in understanding and processing their emotions. Deficiencies may include:

• problems identifying, describing, and working with one's own feelings, often marked by a lack of understanding of the feelings of others;
• confusion of physical sensations often associated with emotions;
• few dreams or fantasies due to restricted imagination; and
• concrete, realistic, logical thinking, often to the exclusion of emotional responses to problems.
• Those who have Alexithymia also report very logical and realistic dreams, such as going to the store, or eating supper.

Alexithymics are believed to be more likely to have somatization disorders and are at higher risk of developing personality disorders.

External links

• Alexithymia
• alexithymia.info Definitions of alexithymia

See also

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Asperger's Syndrome
• Abnormal psychology

Mental illness diagnosis by DSM and ICD

Alexithymie | Alexithymie | アレキシサイミア