Evaluating the Components of Alexithymia in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the differences in alexithymia components between patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and normal individuals. Methods: In this ex-post facto study, 23 obsessive-compulsive outpatients’ selected by available sampling method and 22 personnel of the same hospitals (Taft Comprehensive Psychiatric Hospital, Imam Ali, Shahid Rahnemoon, and Baghayipoor Clinics) were selected as a control group in 2015 in Yazd, Iran. Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 were used in this study. Results: Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results showed that patients with OCD were significantly different from the control group in the total alexithymia score (F=7.232, P=0.01). However, both groups had significant differences only in the subscale of difficulty in identifying feelings. Conclusion: It can be concluded that both groups had significant differences in the total alexithymia score and one of its subscales.

Keywords

• obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd)
• alexithymia
• emotional regulation