Alexithymia is considered an emotional pathology that alters the affective and cognitive field, which is based on the different changes at the neuroanatomical level. But these same changes can be the basis for the development of different mental disorders.
Karukoski (2011) at Turku University, Finland put forward his thesis and stated: According to this study, alexithymic late adolescents have significantly more mental disorder symptoms compared to their peers.
There is a connection, I do not know what came first the egg or the hen.
I don't think Alexithymia can "trigger" a mental disorder. It is normally seen as a vulnerability factor (among many). Perhaps our paper could give you some leads. See:
Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Alexithymia: A Comparison Between Australian Psychiatric and Community Samples
A recent relevant paper looking at alexithymia and psychiatric diagnoses is:
Illuminating the clinical significance of alexithymia subtypes: A cluster analysis of alexithymic traits and psychiatric symptoms
There are a few studies showing higher rates of alexithymia at baseline could be a vulnerability toward developing PTSD after a traumatic event. However, like Rodrigo, I wouldn't say the alexithymia "caused" PTSD, but rather increased vulnerability.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039480410006214
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.20133
In Bosnia after the war rapes people were not able to speak. ...traumatization, occurring both in childhood and in adulthood, has been identified as the most important known risk factor for developing alexithymia....
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2014; 5: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23870.
doi: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23870PMCID: PMC4149745PMID: 25206956
Traumatic experiences, alexithymia, and posttraumatic symptomatology: a cross-sectional population-based study in Germany
Svenja Eichhorn, Elmar Brähler, Matthias Franz, Michael Friedrich, and Heide Glaesmer
email:
Thank you very much for your answers. I will read the recommended articles, the information shown is very helpful. I appreciate your cooperation.
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