Abstract
The authors investigated the effects of detoxification on alexithymia scores in a sample of psychoactive substance-dependent patients. At baseline, 48 subjects were administered the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20); a second measurement was carried out 4-6 weeks later. The mean TAS-20 total score of these subjects at baseline (55-5 ± 12.0) was higher than healthy population norms (46.5 ± 10.3), and no significant change in totals was elicited after detoxification. The results suggest that, in substance abusers, alexithymia tends to be a stable trait and is not significantly altered as a result of abstinence.