Alexithymia in eating disorders: a narrative review

This chapter aimed to provide a narrative and critical review of the current knowledge of alexithymia in eating disorders. Results of previous reviews and meta-analyses on the topic have been reviewed and integrated with further studies retrieved through three searches in well-known databases (e.g., SCOPUS, EBSCO). Most of the research confirmed higher levels of alexithymia in all patients diagnosed with an eating disorder than in nonclinical individuals, with no clear differences according to the type of diagnosis (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, etc.), as well as in healthy individuals showing subthreshold eating disorder symptoms. Alexithymia tends to longitudinal stability, and the various influences on treatment outcomes and therapeutic implications are reviewed. In conclusion, alexithymia could be a crucial treatment target to achieve improvements in ED symptomatology, but more research is needed to understand how to develop alexithymia-oriented efficient treatments for ED patients. Limitations and future lines of research are also discussed.