The authors found that 14 (46.7%) of 30 patients with panic disorder had alexithymia, compared with four (12.5%) of 32 patients with simple phobia. Consistent with the conceptualization of alexithymia as a psychological deficit affecting emotion regulation, the patients with panic disorder had significantly less ego strength and independence and significantly higher levels of anxiety and somatic complaints than the patients with simple phobia.
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Parker et al. (1993) studied this question.
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