J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2001 Sep;40(5):824-831.

Alexithymia in Patients with Alopecia Areata

• Park DB
• Jeon CM
• Sohn IK
• Min KJ
• Kim YD
• Noh BI

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Alexithymia has been regarded as the general personality of psychosomatic disease, but it's controversial. The object of the study is to find out the relationship between alexithymia and alopecia areata.
METHODS
Thirty one alopecia areata patients were compared to 31 normal healthy persons in alexithymic tendency using TAS-20K. Also MMPI and SCL-90-R were checked in both groups. Psychiatric diseases were ruled out.
RESULTS
The scores of F, K, Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pa, Pt and Sc of MMPI in alopecia areata patients were different from those in normal healthy persons. The scores of SOM, O-C, I-S, DEP, ANX, HOT, PHOB, PAR, PSY, GSI, PSDI, and PST of SCL-90-R in alopecia areata patients were significantly higher than those in normal healthy persons. In TAS-20K, the scores of Factor 1 and Total in alopecia areata patients were higher than those in normal healthy persons.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that alopecia areata patients are more alexithymic than normal healthy persons.

Keyword

Alopecia areata; Alexithymia; TAS-20K

MeSH Terms

Affective Symptoms*
Alopecia Areata*
Alopecia*
Humans
MMPI