Alexithymia and somatization in primary care

Somatoform disorder is characterized by physical symptoms that suggest a general medical condition but are not fully explained by this condition or by the direct effects of a substance or another mental disorder. Alexithymia is difficulty in experiencing, expressing, and describing emotional responses, which has been recognized as a major risk factor for a variety of psychopathological and medical conditions, including chronic pain, somatization, depression, and anxiety. Thus the present study focuses on the prevalence of alexithymia and its relation to somatization disorder in primary care setting. Total of 75 peoples who attended the Cholanakkanahalli health centre, Bangalore, Karnataka were surveyed with Socio Demographic data, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ- 15) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS- 20). Result shows that 92% of the subject have somatization disorder and nearly two third of subject are either possible alexithymia or alexithymia & only 32% of them are non-alexithymia. There is a mild positive correlation exits between age and somatization disorder. There is no statistical significant association between study findings and selected socio demographic variables. This study concludes that there is no relationship between alexithymia and somatization disorder.