Emotional lability, also known as emotional instability, is a condition that occurs when a person has very rapid changes in mood or has emotions out of proportion to a particular situation or environment, with uncontrollable crying or laughter. This condition also manifests itself through other symptoms such as outbursts of anger, episodes of extreme sadness and detachment from other people.
Most of the time, emotional lability is caused by genetic alterations, negative childhood experiences or brain injuries caused by head trauma or other diseases such as Alzheimer's, and it can also be associated with some mental disorders such as pseudobulbar affect, bipolar disorder, Borderline and cyclothymia.
The treatment of emotional lability can be done with antidepressant drugs recommended by the psychiatrist, psychotherapy and natural measures such as doing physical activity, meditation through relaxation and breathing techniques.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of emotional lability depend on the severity of the condition and are different from one person to another, and can be:
- Sudden changes in mood; Outburst of anger for no apparent reason; Uncontrollable crying or laughing at inappropriate moments; Excessive sadness that appears suddenly and without explanation; Exaggerated attachment or detachment to other people.
In some cases, emotional lability is related to symptoms of depression, anxiety and even eating disorders such as binge eating, anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Learn more about bulimia nervosa and other symptoms.
How the treatment is done
Treatment for emotional lability should be indicated by a psychiatrist, depending on the severity of the symptoms and whether the person has any associated disorder or psychological problem. Generally, the doctor recommends using medications such as antidepressants to regulate the brain hormones responsible for emotions.
Some natural measures can also help in the treatment of emotional lability, such as exercising, developing distraction and leisure activities, participating in meditation sessions with breathing and relaxation techniques, and following up with a psychologist, through psychotherapy. See more what psychotherapy is and what it is for.
It is important to consult the psychiatrist and start treatment as soon as the symptoms appear because, often, the symptoms of this alteration impair the performance of daily activities such as working, studying, going to the cinema or theater, for example.
Possible causes
The causes of emotional lability may be related to genetic influences transmitted from parents to children, traumatic experiences in childhood, and some people are more likely to have this type of change, such as women between 16 and 24 years old. This change is often caused by psychological problems that make it difficult to control emotions and reactions, such as:
- Disorder of involuntary emotional expression or pseudobulbar affection: it consists of an affection disorder, characterized by difficulty in controlling emotions and manifested with uncontrollable laughter or crying; Cyclothymia: it is a psychological condition in which the person varies between euphoria and depression; Borderline syndrome: characterized by sudden changes in mood and excessive fear of being abandoned by other people; Bipolar disorder: it is identified through the alternation of mood, between the depressive and manic phase, which is the extreme euphoria; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): more common in children, it is a type of disorder that leads to excessive distraction and impulsivity; Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): it is a syndrome that causes behavioral changes and problems in communication and socialization.
Certain brain injuries caused by head trauma, skull fracture and diseases such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia can also trigger symptoms of emotional lability. Check out what it is and the main signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia.
In addition, some everyday situations can lead to the appearance of symptoms of emotional lability, known as triggers. Some triggers can be excessive tiredness, anxiety, stress, job loss, death of a family member, conflicting relationships and very noisy places
