Citation

Hirsch N, Hautekeete M, Kochman F. Encephale (1974) 2001; 27(1): 61-70.

Vernacular Title

Schemas precoces mal adaptes, depression et alexithymie chez des adolescents

Affiliation

UPRES 2453 Temps, Emotions et Cognitions, Approche Bio-Psycho-Sociale, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Lille 3, BP 149, 59653 Villeneuve d'Ascq.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Masson Editeur)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11294040

Abstract

Alexithymia characterizes people having important difficulties in putting their feelings and moods into words. Adolescents' depression shows some peculiarities: one of them, which is often observed, is the equal difficulty of imparting one's feelings to others. This research concerns adolescents who attempted suicide. We study classical factors: depression and hopelessness. But our main objective is at first to study the relationship between attempted suicide, depression, hopelessness and alexithymia. The second objective of our study deals with the the prominent part of early schematas in this complex inter-relation. Maladaptative early schematas are no doubt involved in dysfunctional schematas found in depression and hopelessness. As a consequence, we would like to verify the following hypothesis: maladaptative early schematas are very numerous and specific among adolescents who attempted suicide. These schematas are the core of the complex inter-relation between attempted suicide, depression, hopelessness, suicide risk, suicide relapse and alexithymia. We have compared a group of normal subjects (who did not try to take their owns lives) and a group of people who did. First, we have found that the latter are more prone to alexithymia: a large majority of these subjects exceeds by far the accepted norm of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. We have proved that the subjects who have attempted suicide also accumulate maladaptative early schematas. The qualitative analyse of these schematas leads to a possible explanation of the tendency to self destruction. Moreover there are apparently important differences between subjects who, in the past-experienced or did not experience a major depressive episode. The analysis of the relationships between the various factors of our study brings us to the conclusion that there is an unmistakable causal link between maladaptative early schematas and the interactive set (depression-hopelessness-major depressive episode-alexithymia) all these being part of attempted suicide and forming an integrant part of a whole which is the vulnerability to the suicide. Studying the various steps of early schematas seems to be quite promising as far as depression and suicide are concerned.

Language: fr