ALEXITHYMIA, A DIFFICULT CONDITION SHOWING EMOTIONS THAT ARE OFTEN TAKEN ABOUT AUTISM
Emotions or feelings are one of
the things that characterize us as humans. Whether it's happy, sad, angry,
afraid, or disgusted. The emotions we feel are reactions to a stimulus.
Feelings arise from basic instincts and are certainly one of the things that
keep us going. Like, the fear of wild animals, will make us avoid and save
ourselves. There is also a disgust for rotten food that keeps us away from
bacteria or germs. However, some people find it difficult to recognize feelings
and express responses to those feelings.
According to Science Direct,
alexithymia is a subclinical phenomenon that involves a lack of emotional awareness
or, more specifically, difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and in
distinguishing feelings from bodily sensations from emotional arousal.
What is Alexithymia?
Associate Professor and Research Director at Indiana University School of Medicine, dr. Dawn Neumann on the Brainline channel explains that someone who has Alexithymia has poor emotional insight. This leads to a lack of emotional self-awareness. As a result, a person will have difficulty recognizing feelings when receiving an emotional response which includes the ability to label or describe feelings. It is also related to the ability to distinguish emotions, such as anger, sadness, or fear.
"People with alexithymia will have difficulty paying attention to the internal cues we get from our bodies which are very helpful for telling us when we are experiencing an emotional response so they may not pay attention to things like when their heart rate increases or their muscles tense," says Dr. Dawn.
However, dr. Dawn also explains that “If you don't have an awareness or pay attention to your emotions, they will come out on their own whether you process them or not.” “Just because you're not aware of them doesn't mean they don't exist. Emotions will come out in one form or another," he continued. Dawn also explained, that a person with this condition will react in certain ways, but will not have the capacity to control how to react. react because they are not aware of what emotions are.
What causes a person to suffer from alexithymia?
Launching Healthline, the causes
of alexithymia are not well understood. The condition may be caused by
genetics. This condition can also result from brain damage to the insula or
amygdala. This part of the brain is known for its roles in social skills, empathy,
and emotion, with some studies linking insula lesions to apathy and anxiety.
Links to autism The symptoms of autism spectrum disorder are very broad, but
there are still some stereotypes associated with this condition. One of the
main stereotypes is a lack of empathy, something that has largely been
debunked.
Research in the journal PubMed Central shows that up to half of people with autism also have alexithymia.
In other words, it is alexithymia that causes a lack of empathy, and not autism itself. Emotions and depression May also experience alexithymia with depression. It has been noted in major depression and postpartum disorders, as well as in schizophrenia. Research in the journal Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences shows that between 32 and 51 percent of people with depression also have alexithymia.
Possible trauma
In addition, this condition has been noted in
people who have experienced trauma, especially during childhood. Trauma and
neglect at this stage can cause changes in the brain that can make it difficult
to feel and identify emotions later in life.
Other related conditions
Research in the journal "Alexithymia in
Neurological Disease: A Review" also suggests that the condition may be
present in certain neurological diseases and injuries including:
Alzheimer's disease Dystonia
Epilepsy Huntington's disease Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease Stroke
Traumatic brain injury. Based on IMDB and Goodreads, Alexithymia has also been
mentioned several times in other media such as drama series and novels, such
as:
1. Stranger (2017), Drama Series
2. Third Person (2013), Film
3. Alice (2020), Series Drama
4. He is Psychometric (2019),
Series Drama
5. Almond (2017), Novel
6. Alexitimia (2012), Novels