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Free GCSE English Oral Speech.

Distinction level piece for anyone that want it.
Please let me know if you use it for your speech or if you found it helpful. (Just to satisfy my curiosity.)

"I want you to ask yourselves a question. What do you think when someone says the word, “Alexithymia”? The usual response to this question is what is Alexithymia? Alexithymia is probably not a word that many of you hear in your everyday lives but despite this the odds are that you will meet at least several people with this condition over the course of your life. Maybe someone in your social circles? Your family? Even you.

So, what is alexithymia? According to the Cambridge dictionary, alexithymia is a medical term used to describe a condition in which someone is unable to recognize or describe their emotions. It was first coined in 1973 by the psychotherapist Peter E Manuel Sifanos to describe patients with psychosomatic illnesses who have several symptoms in common. The word itself stems from the Greek prefix ‘a’ meaning not; Lexis, referring to words; and thymos meaning feeling. So, the psychological phenomenon, alexithymia literally means no words for emotion.

Alexithymia will impact one in every 10 of us. That is 10% of our ever-growing population, so who does it actually affect? Alexithymia is nondiscriminatory and can affect all people of all ages and all backgrounds and has a lifetime risk. Despite this, males seem to score higher on tests such as the Toronto alexithymia scale, possibly due to the traits of toxic masculinity present in modern day society. Despite only 10% of the neurotypical population being affected, according to Researcher Pamela Heaton of the University of London, it can affect up to 70% of the neurodiverse population as many of these individuals already struggle with emotional processing. Not surprisingly, people with any pre-existing conditions like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), brain injury and epilepsy are unfortunately at a higher risk of developing alexithymia.

So, assuming you think you have alexithymia but want to try and get a formal diagnosis. How do you do that? Answer: You don’t! To date there is still no way of getting a formal diagnosis, given that alexithymia is not officially recognized by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, you can always self-diagnose through research and education although it is noted that online tests are not an effective method of self-diagnosis as many of these tests have randomized or unreliable results. If you have recently suffered any physical trauma, it is recommended to get an MRI scan as alexithymia can often be a sign of brain damage. However, if this is not the case and you do want to take a test to try and prove or disprove your symptoms, there is an option to take a more professional test like the Toronto alexithymia scale better known as the TAS-20.

So, you’ve done the research and you’re certain you are alexithymic. How do you get treatment for this condition? The first most realistic treatment is meditation as alexithymic symptoms can often be induced by being out of touch with your emotions due to stress or anxieties. Because alexithymia is often linked to preexisting conditions like depression and anxieties, it is recommended to get treatment for those disorders through a GP. A less known method of treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) which is designed to help changing thought processes to identify emotions by linking thought processes to emotions. Unfortunately, as there have only been 40 years of research, there is still no form of medication there has not been time enough to create and test any form of drugs.

In summary, alexithymia can impact anyone and while there is no formal diagnosis there are ways of treating it. While research is still underway to diagnose and treat this condition, it may be a long time before the research comes into effect and longer still before any form of medication treatments come into circulation. "