The measure of symbolic function in alexithymic pain patients.

The archetypal test with 9 elements (AT9), a tracer of symbolic function, was completed by 30 pain patients in whom alexithymia had been measured by two means: the Beth Israel psychosomatic questionnaire (BIQ) and the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI) alexithymia scale. Results show a correlation of adequate statistical significance (p less than 0.05) between the AT9 and the BIQ but not with the MMPI alexithymia scale. The scored AT9 (SAT9) allows one to discriminate between forms and degrees of disorganization in symbolic activity within an alexithymic population. The AT9 measures something central to the construct of alexithymia and its advantages and possibilities over other tools to assess alexithymia are discussed.