Disorders of Affect Regulation: Alexithymia in Medical and Psychiatric Illness

381 Pages·1999·7.51 MB·English

by  Graeme J. Taylor

The authors of this book provide an entirely new perspective on how
emotions influence mental and physical health. They present recent
thinking about the development and regulation of emotions and
argue that several common but difficult to treat psychiatric illnesses,
including drug addictions, eating disorders, panic disorder, and post-
traumatic stress disorders, are a consequence of an inability to regulate
distressing emotions through mental processes. The book also
advances a model in which dysregulated emotions may alter other
bodily systems and thereby contribute to the development of physical
illnesses and diseases. This book offers a valuable and stimulating
reference for clinicians and researchers alike.

DISORDERS OF AFFECT REGULATION
Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness

Disorders of affect regulation
Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness
Graeme J. Taylor
University of Toronto
R. Michael Bagby
University of Toronto
James D.A. Parker
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK www.cup.cam.ac.uk
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© Cambridge University Press 1997
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1997
First paperback edition 1999
Typeface Bembo io.5/i2pt. System Linotron 202
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Taylor, Graeme J.
Disorders of affect regulation: alexithymia in medical and
psychiatric illness/Graeme J. Taylor, R. Michael Bagby, James D.A.
Parker
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0 521 45610 x (hardback)
1. Alexithymia. 2. Emotions - Health aspects. 3. Personality and
emotion. I. Bagby, R. Michael. II. Parker, James D.A. (James
Donald Alexander), 1959- . III. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Affective Symptoms. 2. Mental Disorders. 3. Substance
Use Disorders, WM 171 T241D 1996]
RC540.T39 1996
6i6.89-dc2O 96-8520 CIP
DNLM/DLC
for Library of Congress
ISBN 0 521 45610 x hardback
ISBN 0 521 77850 6 paperback
Transferred to digital printing 2003
To the memory of my friend and colleague Arthur H. Sohn GJT
To the memory of my uncle James W. Bagby in RMB
For Anne and Dorothy JDAP

Contents
Foreword
JAMES S. GROTSTEIN XI
Acknowledgments xix
Acknowledgment of permission for use of material xxi
Introduction
GRAEME TAYLOR 1
[i] The development and regulation of affects
GRAEME TAYLOR, MICHAEL BAGBY AND JAMES PARKER 7
[2] Affect dysregulation and alexithymia
MICHAEL BAGBY AND GRAEME TAYLOR 26
[3] Measurement and validation of the alexithymia construct
MICHAEL BAGBY AND GRAEME TAYLOR 46
[4] Relations between alexithymia, personality, and affects
JAMES PARKER AND GRAEME TAYLOR 67
[5] The neurobiology of emotion, affect regulation, and alexithymia
JAMES PARKER AND GRAEME TAYLOR 93
[6] Somatoform disorders
GRAEME TAYLOR II4
[7] Anxiety and depressive disorders and a note on
personality disorders
MICHAEL BAGBY AND GRAEME TAYLOR I38
[8] Substance use disorders
GRAEME TAYLOR 166
CONTENTS
[9] Eating disorders
GRAEME TAYLOR K)0
[10] Affects and alexithymia in medical illness and disease
GRAEME TAYLOR 2l6
[n] Treatment considerations
GRAEME TAYLOR 248
[12] Future directions
JAMES PARKER, MICHAEL BAGBY AND GRAEME TAYLOR 267
Appendix 272
References 274
Index 351