Alexithymia Test

Do I have alexithymia?

Alexithymia is a phenomenon characterized by the inability to recognize, describe, and express one's own emotions.

Relationships are challenging for people who have difficulty relating to their own feelings and others' feelings.

Assess whether you fall within the spectrum with this brief alexithymia test. It only takes 2 minutes. Get private, instant results.

Assessment Disclosure: This self-assessment is not a tool for diagnosing any type of health condition and does not provide any type of medical diagnosis or healthcare recommendation. We do not make any warranties concerning the completeness, reliability, and/or accuracy of the assessment or its results.

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Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

Take your time. Ponder each of the 20 statements carefully.

20. I am often confused about what emotion I am feeling.

19. It is difficult for me to find the right words for my feelings.

18. I have physical sensations that even doctors don’t understand.

17. I am able to describe my feelings easily.

16. I prefer to analyze problems rather than just describe them.

15. When I am upset, I don’t know if I am sad, frightened, or angry.

14. I am often puzzled by sensations in my body.

13. I prefer to just let things happen rather than to understand why they turned out that way.

12. I have feelings that I can’t quite identify.

11. Being in touch with emotions is essential.

10. I find it hard to describe how I feel about people.

9. People tell me to describe my feelings more.

8. I don’t know what’s going on inside me.

7. I often don’t know why I am angry.

6. I prefer talking to people about their daily activities rather than their feelings.

5. I prefer to watch light entertainment shows rather than psychological dramas.

4. It is difficult for me to reveal my innermost feelings, even to close friends.

3. I can feel close to someone, even in moments of silence.

2. I find examination of my feelings useful in solving personal problems.

1. Looking for hidden meanings in movies or plays distracts from my enjoyment.

Your score is consistent with criteria for alexithymia.

Alexithymia Scale

0.0 - 5.1 No alexithymia

5.2 - 6.0 Possible alexithymia

6.1 - 10 Alexithymia present

You may be asking yourself, "What does this mean for me?"

Alexithymia is a phenomenon, not a recognized medical condition. Though it is often associated with some medical and psychiatric conditions. There is research indicating the possibility of correlation with autism, PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders among others. Note: correlation, not causation.

I bring attention to alexithymia in my coaching practice as how it relates to attachment. You may have heard of attachment theory—the concept of how relationships established in early childhood form how we relate to others in later life and, most importantly, how we relate to and believe about ourself.

This is important because it helps explain why we seek relief from living life without a sense of purpose (such as overworking, social withdrawal, numbing out, anorexia, porn use ... the list goes on). Without factoring in very real disorders, I view attachment and alexithymia as likely having the same origin. So understanding one can help explain the other.

If that piques your curiosity, I've written an article about the six types of attachment styles and how they run your life. It also includes a link to an online quiz to discover yours.

Or, if you would like to learn more about alexithymia, read my Substack post, Alexithymia—Have you heard of this? It talks about the challenge of having deep, meaningful relationships with others, especially for those who struggle with addiction. There are tools for developing emotional awareness and a video of me sharing my story.

Attachment Styles

Substack post