ALEXITHYMIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SUICIDAL RISK

Irina  Savelieva; Nataliia  Zaviazkina

doi:10.48020/mppj.2024.01.04

Irina Savelieva KIMPP https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5109-9969
Nataliia Zaviazkina KIMPP https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5565-8959

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48020/mppj.2024.01.04

Keywords: suicide, suicidal behavior, alexithymia, impulsivity, aggression, aggressive behavior, impulsivity, depression disorder, stress, psychodiagnosis, personality.

Abstract

The article examines the concept of alexithymia and its connection with suicidal tendencies. The historical background of the emergence and development of the idea of alexithymia by J. Nemiah and P. Sifneos is given: from a purely psychosomatic theory to an explanation of a wider range of psychological suffering.

The concepts of the emergence of alexithymia and the views of various authors on the peculiarities of the functioning of alexithymic persons are given, which makes it possible to strengthen and expand the understanding of the functioning of such persons in a non-adaptive way: the use of primitive methods of protection, deficits in cognitive processing, difficulties in regulating affect, limited ability to accumulate experience of affective experiences which, as a result, does not form the ability to withstand and experience excessive affect.

The impact of alexithymic complications on the risk of suicidal behavior as a way to regulate unbearable affects was analyzed. Insufficient emotional awareness is associated with the risk of developing maladaptive strategies, including impulsive self-injurious actions.

The importance of taking affective tolerance into account when assessing the risk of maladaptive actions and suicidal behavior is emphasized.

When considering the connection between alexithymia and suicide, the emphasis is on taking into account the problems of the functioning of persons with alexithymia, namely: monitoring one’s own states, distinguishing between affective experiences and the ability to report one’s experiences to others in order to receive timely help, which, as a result, can lead to risky, impulsive forms of behavior.

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