Alexithymia is a multi-facet personality construct characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions, paucity of fantasies and externally orientated cognitive style. Recent research investigated the role of alexithymia in male sexuality finding high scores for alexithymia in patients with Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and with Premature Ejaculation (PE) with a positive correlation between alexithymia level and the sexual symptoms’ severity. We present a summary of our studies discussing the potential implication of alexithymia for male sexual well-being.

We assessed Alexithymia in 240 male outpatients with sexual dysfunction (120 with ED and 120 with PE) in comparison with a control group of 120 volunteers (age range 20-60). Alexithymia was measured through the twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), ED severity by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and PE severity by the Premature Ejaculation Severity Index (PESI).

Subjects with sexual dysfunctions resulted significantly more alexithymic than controls (p<0.001) and alexithymia levels were correlated to a more severe manifestation both of ED (p<0.001) and of PE (p<0.01).

Patientʼs alexithymic features could have some important implications in the clinical approach to male sexual dysfunctions. In the clinical relationship, special attention should be paid to the empathic attunement helping the patient to recognize, to name and to express his emotions. Body-oriented techniques, hypnosis and imaginative methods can be useful instruments in the treatment of alexithymic patients. Alexithymia also supports the importance of the partnerʼs involvement in the clinical practice.