Recent Advances in Psychotherapeutic Treatment and Understanding of Alexithymia in Patients with Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Filip Mustač,
Tin Galijašević,
Eva Podolski,
Andrej Belančić,
Martina Matovinović,
Darko Marčinko
Affiliations
Filip Mustač
Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Tin Galijašević
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Eva Podolski
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Andrej Belančić
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Martina Matovinović
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Croatian Obesity Treatment Referral Centre, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Darko Marčinko
Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Alexithymia is the inability to describe one’s own feelings and is being increasingly researched. According to contemporary psychodynamic theories, negative emotions cannot be adequately named and externalized, but remain trapped in the body. Recent research shows the connection of alexithymia with numerous somatic diseases. Diabetes mellitus type 2 and obesity represent great challenges in treatment, and the psychological profiles in these diseases are being studied more and more often. Therefore, alexithymia enters the focus of some research as a factor that could play a significant role in these diseases, namely as the one that makes a difference. The aim of this paper is a review of the literature with the purpose of understanding the current knowledge about the interconnection between alexithymia, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
