Alexithymia
| Alexithymia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Emotional blindness |
| Pronunciation |
|
| Specialty | Clinical psychology, psychiatry |
| Frequency | 5% generally, but several times higher in some conditions |
Alexithymia (/əˌlɛksɪˈθaɪmiə/, ə-LEK-sih-THY-mee-ə), also called emotional blindness, is a neuropsychological phenomenon characterized by difficulties processing or describing one's emotions.
Alexithymia occurs in 5% of the general population, though it is more common for those with conditions such as autism (50%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 42%), and cancer (37%).
It is often associated with difficulties in attachment and interpersonal relations.