Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in psychic functioning characterized by difficulties in the capacity to verbalize affect and to a reduced or diminished capacity to elaborate fantasies.

Although initially described in the context of psychosomatic illness, alexithymic characteristics may be observed in patients with a wide range of medical and psychiatric disorders. The importance of the concept of alexithymia in the field of neurobehavioral sciences is recognized increasingly. In this article the concept of alexithymia is reviewed, including historical background, phenomenological and demographic features, and etiological possibilities successively.

The disturbance has several implications for medical, psychiatric and psychotherapeutic practice, which are discussed at the end of this paper.