Essential Tremor and Alexithymia
Yıldızhan Şengül1
, Hakan Serdar Şengül2, Elif Gökçal1, İsmet Üstün1, Ahmet Öztürk3, Onur Yılmaz3, Gülsen Babacan Yıldız1
1Bezmialem Vakif University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey
2Istanbul Gaziosmanpasa Taksim Ilkyardim Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Neuropsychology, Istanbul, Turkey
3Bezmialem Vakif University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
Keywords: Essential tremor, alexithymia, non-motor symptoms
Abstract
Objective: Essential tremor (ET) is the most common cause of tremor. We know that this disease, which was presumed to be monosymptomatic until recently, may be accompanied by motor findings and a series of non-motor findings other than action tremor. Alexithymia can be defined as not being able to name emotions, express emotions, distinguish emotions from each other, or living without being aware of one’s own emotions. The aim of our study was to evaluate alexithymia in patients with ET.
Materials and Methods: Forty-four patients with ET (mean age=38.22±18.05 years) and 46 control subjects (mean age=37.17±10.68 years) were included in the study. The Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale was used for the patient group and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were applied to both groups.
Results: The mean TAS was 49.16±8.94 in the patient group and 42.34±6.27 in the control group (p<0.001). The comparison between subgroup scores showed that the patient group had difficulty in recognizing their feelings and increase in externally-oriented thinking.
Conclusion: Our study has shown that alexithymia may be present in patients with ET. Studies involving larger patient groups and imaging in this respect will be useful in illuminating the place of alexithymia in the non-motor symptom spectrum of the disease.