Emotional lability: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment

Emotional lability is when a person presents very rapid mood changes or has emotions that are disproportionate to a given situation or environment, crying or laughing uncontrollably. 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 changes, negative childhood experiences or brain injuries caused by head trauma or other diseases such as Alzheimer’s, in addition to being associated with some mental disorders such as pseudobulbar affect, bipolar disorder, Borderline and cyclothymia.

The treatment of emotional lability can be done with antidepressant medications recommended by the psychiatrist, psychotherapy and natural measures such as physical activity, meditation through relaxation and breathing techniques.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of emotional lability include:

• Sudden changes in mood;
• Explosion of anger for no apparent reason;
• Uncontrollable crying or laughing at inappropriate times;
• Excessive sadness that appears suddenly and without explanation;
• Exaggerated attachment or detachment to other people.

In some cases, emotional lability may be related to symptoms of depression, anxiety and even eating disorders such as binge eating, anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Find out more about bulimia nervosa and other symptoms.

Possible causes

Emotional lability appears to be influenced by genetic issues and traumatic childhood experiences, with some people being more likely to have this type of change, such as women between 16 and 24 years old.

Often, this change is caused by psychological problems that make it difficult to control emotions and reactions, such as:

• Disorder of involuntary emotional expression or pseudobulbar affect: consists of an affect disorder, characterized by difficulty in controlling emotions and manifests as uncontrollable laughing or crying;
• Cyclothymia: it is a psychological condition in which the person varies between a state of euphoria and depression;
• Borderline Syndrome: is 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 extreme euphoria;
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): more common in children, it is a type of disorder that leads to distraction and excessive impulsivity;
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): It is a syndrome that causes changes in behavior and problems in communication and socialization.

Some 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. Find out more about what it is and the main signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia.

Furthermore, some everyday situations can lead to the emergence of symptoms of emotional lability, known as triggers. Some triggers may be excessive tiredness, anxiety, stress, loss of a job, death of a family member, conflicting relationships and very noisy places.

How the treatment is carried out

Treatment for emotional lability must be indicated by a psychiatrist, depending on the severity of the symptoms and whether the person has any associated psychological disorder or problem. Generally, the doctor recommends the use of 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 doing physical exercise, developing distraction and leisure activities, participating in meditation sessions with breathing and relaxation techniques and following up with a psychologist, through psychotherapy. See more about what psychotherapy is and what it is for.

It is important to consult a psychiatrist and start treatment as soon as symptoms appear, as the symptoms of this change often affect the performance of day-to-day activities such as working, studying, going to the cinema or theater, for example.