Disorders of Affect Regulation: Alexithymia in Medical and Psychiatric Illness

An entirely new perspective on how emotions influence mental and physical health. The authors 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. Generously illustrated throughout with clinical vignettes and providing descriptions of innovative therapeutic approaches, this book offers a valuable and stimulating reference for clinicians and researchers alike.

Table of Contents:
Foreword James S. Grotstein; Acknowledgements; Introduction Graeme Taylor; 1. The development and regulation of affects Graeme Taylor, Michael Bagby and James Parker; 2. Affect dysregulation and alexithymia Michael Bagby and Graeme Taylor; 3. Measurement and validation of the alexithymia construct Michael Bagby and Graeme Taylor; 4. Relations between alexithymia, personality, and affects James Parker and Graeme Taylor; 5. The neurobiology of emotion, affect regulation and alexithymia James Parker and Graeme Taylor; 6. Somatoform disorders Graeme Taylor; 7. Anxiety and depressive disorders and a note on personality disorders Michael Bagby and Graeme Taylor; 8. Substance use disorders Graeme Taylor; 9. Eating disorders Graeme Taylor; 10. Affects and alexithymia in medical illness and disease Graeme Taylor; 11. Treatment considerations Graeme Taylor; 12. Future directions James Parker, Michael Bagby and Graeme Taylor; References; Index.

Review :
'The authors make some excellent suggestions as to how some therapeutic approaches can have meaningful impact on alexithymic patients ... This book is provocative and thorough ... The reference materials and indexes are excellent without being overwhelming.' Journal of the American Medical Association 'What a treat to share the experiences of Dr Taylor's team! Indeed, this book represents a very unique contribution based on their results from 12 years of research. The authors made a complex topic readable ... written in a clear, easy accessible style ... comprehensive overview ... fills a void not covered by contemporary textbooks ... solid helpful book and worthy of high recommendation.' European Journal of Psychiatry 'This is an important book for all those who are interested in the alexithymia construct and it will become an anchor point for them.' Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics ' ... provocative and thorough.' JAMA '... remarkable for its comprehensive treatment of alexithymia; integrated balance of theory, research, and clinical applications; and its evenhanded approach to interpreting the literature - offering conclusions where the evidence is sound, and pointing out future research directions where the evidence is weak or conflicting ... a 'must' for people interested in alexithymia and emotion regulation.' Mark A. Lumley, Journal of Psychosomatic Research 'The authors support their ideas with hundreds of references from their own research, as well as from the work of others, providing a comprehensive synthesis of current thinking regarding alexithymia ... Psychotherapists of clients with eating, personality, mood, and substance abuse disorders can gain a new understanding of the difficulties faced by those who have disturbances in affect regulation. And physicians who see patients who express their emotions somatically can learn from this new conceptualization of alexithymia as a risk factor for illness and disease.' Bulletin of the Nenninger Clinic