Emotional lability in psychology: symptoms and causes

All people experience emotions, but they are expressed differently in everyone. Some behave calmly and reservedly, while others react to current events overly emotionally. There are also people whose mood is subject to frequent and sudden changes. This condition is called “organic emotionally labile disorder” or simply “emotional lability.” Today we will analyze in detail what this condition is, how it manifests itself, for what reasons it develops and how to cope with it.

What is emotional lability?

From a psychological point of view, emotional lability is a mental disorder characterized by mood swings without significant reasons, caused by disturbances in the functioning of the brain or somatic diseases. Any little thing can cause such a person an overly emotional reaction , both positive and negative.

If you give an emotionally labile person the usual routine compliment, he may be delighted with it. If someone looks at him judgmentally, this can cause him depression or reflection about his imperfection. At the same time, mood changes in any direction occur almost instantly, given even the slightest reason.

The term "lability" is derived from the Latin word labilis, which translates as "sliding" or "unstable." It can also be used in other scientific disciplines to denote changeable, unstable phenomena or processes.

Emotional lability means that a person has great difficulty controlling his emotions and mood swings. Because of this, it is quite difficult to communicate with such people. But they become quite attached to those who have the patience and understanding to get along with them (however, this does not mean that they will behave well). Interestingly, in childhood, boys are more likely to demonstrate emotionally labile behavior than girls, and in adulthood, the opposite is true.

Mental instability

Mental lability is manifested by an unstable emotional state. Such people can suddenly change their mood, become overly impressed, and try to shift responsibility to others. In advanced stages, depression, split personality, and aggression can develop. Therefore, this type of mental instability should be treated by psychiatrists, not psychotherapists.

In the modern world, the described types of unstable human condition appear in young, middle, and adulthood. The cause of deviations can be both hereditary factors and the person’s lifestyle.

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Symptoms of emotional lability

In psychology, there are two types of emotional lability:

• Border
• Impulsive

Each type has its own set of symptoms. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Border type

The full name of this condition according to ICD-10 is “Emotionally unstable personality disorder, borderline type,” but much more often you can hear the abbreviated wording: “Borderline personality disorder.” It is characterized by symptoms such as:

• excessive impressionability;
• affective lability (too bright and unstable emotions);
• well-developed and poorly controlled imagination;
• mobility of cognitive perception;
• painful reaction to external obstacles that arise on the way to the goal, as well as to one’s own mistakes, failures and failures;
• hyperbolic perception of all external events;
• constant stress associated with excessive sensitivity.

The borderline type of emotional lability is typical for young children who do not yet know what responsibility is. They are very capricious, and they put their desires above the rules and prohibitions imposed by adults. In adolescence, this type of emotional instability leads to restlessness, constant changes in mood, frequent frustrations, and inability to concentrate on studies.

In adulthood, emotional instability of the borderline type makes a person weak-willed. He copes poorly with life's challenges and quickly gives up when faced with difficulties. This is due to the fact that such people endure even the slightest failures extremely painfully. They quickly become dependent on alcohol and drugs, and easily succumb to other bad habits that help them escape from their painful experiences.

Emotional lability is a serious obstacle to personal relationships. People forced to live with the borderline type of this disorder become very attached to loved ones. At the same time, they are often unbearable and intrusive, constantly demanding attention, and when they receive it, they begin to behave aggressively and jealously , pushing away those they need most. They also often try to attract attention or blackmail loved ones with demonstrative suicidal intentions.

Impulsive type

In ICD-10, this condition is called “Emotionally unstable personality disorder, impulsive type,” but the abbreviated name “Impulsive personality disorder” is more often used. Such people behave extremely unrestrained and impulsive; if they are angry with themselves, they can resort to self-harm. They are characterized by emotional outbursts, during which they do not think about the consequences of their actions. Because of this, the behavior of an adult with impulsive personality disorder often resembles that of a child.

Characteristic signs of a person with an impulsive type of emotional lability:

• moodiness;
• touchiness;
• tendency to hysterics;
• infantilism;
• rapid transition to insults and even physical aggression.

Such a person usually strives to lead in any dispute. If it doesn’t work out, he begins to demonstrate aggression towards others, even if they are very close people. At the same time, he usually does not think about the consequences, so he allows himself to make rude and offensive statements , in some cases he can even turn to physical aggression. This will not necessarily be the use of force. He may, for example, rashly throw water from a glass in the face of his interlocutor.

People with impulsive personality disorder have difficulty forming relationships. They alienate even the most dear people, and any attempts to make peace turn into streams of accusations, scenes of jealousy and other unpleasant ways of communicating.

Correction

If emotional weakness manifests itself as an impulsive type, with age and under the influence of changes in the hormonal background, its manifestations may fade a little. However, in any case, the pathological condition requires help from specialists. Self-medication is often useless, especially in a situation where weakness is the result of somatic problems. Along with drug therapy or psychological correction, such people are advised to exclude drinks and foods that “stimulate” the nervous system from their diet, give up bad habits, and balance their lifestyle, avoiding psycho-traumatic and stressful influences.

Emotional lability is not a permanent condition. The important point here is the triggering moment, those situations that can cause outbursts of uncontrollable emotions. Some of these triggers include: fatigue, certain stimuli (crowds, high expectations, noise), anxiety, insulin imbalance, thyroid hormone imbalance, menstruation/premenstrual syndrome/menopause, high blood pressure. Treatments typically focus on teaching the person how to manage this sudden surge through cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling, support groups, yoga, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, stretching, and others.

Before starting any treatment, it is advisable to visit a doctor. He will be able to better determine the cause of the problem and prescribe effective treatment and medications.

Certain rules must be followed:

• People around the patient can be the main irritants for the development of an attack. Therefore, not only the patient, but also the people around him should be educated. This will help the patient to be free from additional tension and stress.
• Take a break, take short breaks, go for a walk, or sit with a cup of tea, this will help you relax, reduce internal tension and help in the fight against anxiety.
• Try to ignore, not pay attention to the behavior of such a person, which will help him relax in the future. Treat the behavior—whether laughing, angry, crying—as insignificant and continue the conversation until the attack passes.
• Avoid stressful factors, exclude certain topics that may cause stress in the patient, try to change the topic and distract the person. Avoid noisy crowded places and eliminate loud sounds.

Receiving a psychotherapeutic consultation by a patient will help a person cope with his deep-seated problems and eliminate the cause of the problems. The doctor can give the patient enough instructions on how to deal with difficult situations. In some cases, medications may be prescribed. Early detection of symptoms of emotional lability along with proper treatment will help prevent further progression of this condition and preserve the patient’s relationships with people close to him.

Causes of emotional lability

To better understand what emotional lability is, it is necessary to understand that it is not just a harmfulness or a feature of human behavior. This disorder usually results from serious problems in the functioning of the brain. Psychologists cite the following factors as the most common reasons:

1. Psycho-emotional stress. This can be stress, intense mental stress, participation in competitions, passing exams, lack of sleep, interpersonal conflicts and other actions that cause emotional stress.
2. Mental trauma. A traumatic event can also cause emotional instability.
3. Endocrine imbalance. Hormones regulate all processes in the body, including processes occurring in the central nervous system. Therefore, emotional lability is often observed in adolescents and pregnant women, as well as in people whose hormonal balance is disturbed due to various diseases.
4. Deterioration of blood supply to the brain. Diseases of the cardiovascular system can affect the quality of the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, causing various disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system and even organic damage to the nervous tissue.
5. Neurological diseases. As noted above, emotional lability is most often a consequence of various brain diseases. These could be injuries, tumors, infectious diseases, intoxication, etc.
6. Mental disorders. Neuroses, dementia and psychopathy are often accompanied by emotional instability.

Psychotherapy

The basis of psychotherapeutic intervention is the goal of identifying internal conflicts, fears, and the possible psychological root cause of the condition. Correction is aimed at eliminating negative factors by working through the problem, relieving anxiety, working with stress resistance and disorders of self-perception. Attention is paid to controlling aggressive behavior.

If there are problems with social adaptation and communication, training sessions and group therapy may be required. Along with the work carried out with the patient, family therapy is often carried out. It is important not only to teach a person to control emotions and suppress an affective reaction, but also to help family members find an approach to such a person and learn to correctly respond to the mood swings of a person with weakness.

Despite the fact that lack of control over emotional reactions brings a lot of discomfort, one should not assume that the condition is completely uncorrectable. There is no need to try to suppress emotions on your own. Timely seeking help from specialists will allow you to get rid of not only the consequences of emotional instability, but also learn to cope with the condition without harm to yourself or others.

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Diagnostics

When diagnosing emotional lability, much attention is paid to the causes of this condition. Initially, an emotionally unstable personality disorder is diagnosed by a psychiatrist , after which the patient is prescribed an examination by other doctors: a therapist, a cardiologist, an endocrinologist and a neurologist. Their task is to identify the disease that caused emotional lability.

When examining a patient, the following methods are used:

• Clinical conversation. At this stage, the doctor’s task is to obtain from the patient the most accurate description of his symptoms: the presence of outbursts of anger, irritability, tearfulness, aggressiveness, inability to restrain emotions, etc.
• Observation. Directly during the conversation, the doctor observes the patient’s behavior. Since this situation is considered stressful, he usually begins to clearly demonstrate characteristic symptoms: he worries, has difficulty formulating thoughts, behaves in conflict, or begins to cry.
• Psychodiagnostics. At this stage, complex questionnaires and other testing methods are used to assess the general condition of the patient and determine the presence of various disorders and neuroses.

Prognosis and prevention

The prognosis depends on the course of the underlying disease, but the right approach to treatment can always improve the patient’s quality of life by compensating for the symptoms of emotional distress using relaxation and self-regulation skills. The most effective way of prevention is the rational organization of work and rest. Periods of intense mental work should be replaced with physical activity (preferably in the fresh air). If signs of fatigue appear, take a break and change your activity to another. The basics are good sleep and a healthy diet.

Treatment of psychological lability involves working with a psychotherapist

Treatment of emotional lability

When the diagnosis is completed and the causes of emotional instability are identified, they begin to eliminate them. The necessary treatment should be carried out by the doctor whose competence is the cause. This could be not only a psychiatrist, but also a neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, therapist or other specialist. In most cases, therapeutic treatment is required, but sometimes surgery is also resorted to.

Specific treatment may include the following:

• Individual psychotherapy. During sessions, the psychotherapist helps the patient cope with internal conflicts and fears. In each case, an individual approach is used using cognitive behavioral therapy, auto-training and other methods.
• Group psychotherapy. This approach helps solve patients’ social problems: increase self-confidence, develop communication skills, learn to avoid conflicts and better feel the emotions of others.
• Consulting. The psychotherapist communicates with the patient’s family members, explains to them in detail what emotional lability is, and gives recommendations on how to communicate and how to help the person suffering from it.
• Drug therapy. Drugs that reduce anxiety and tension are usually prescribed: tranquilizers, antidepressants and sedatives.

How does this translate in life?

There are a number of clear signs by which one can recognize the emergence and “emergence” of emotional lability:

1. The first sign is the inability to cope with difficulties , even the most insignificant ones. A person in advance, without even trying to do something, falls into melancholy and despondency.
2. Outbursts of affect - explosions of hysteria, yelling, crying, laughter, anger, resentment... all in an exaggerated form and suddenly.
3. A person between outbursts of affects is sluggish, apathetic.
4. A tearful state occurs in most cases after “emotional outbursts.”
5. “Close-heartedness” - a person reacts very sharply to any situation, especially to a situation that is negative for him for some reason.
6. Acute reaction to criticism addressed to oneself , especially if the criticism is negative. A person suffering from pathology cannot loyally, calmly and adequately perceive information about himself.
7. Assessment of behavior, assessment of actions, assessment of skills , assessment of life, both personal and public, becomes a reason for aggression or hysteria .
8. There is no constructive thinking, no logically constructed actions . All life is built on a chaotic reaction to what is happening: outbursts of affect, periods of melancholy and despondency.
9. May be accompanied by diseases of internal organs .

Based on the above symptoms, you can already visually imagine what a labile person looks like. A type with clear, fast and clearly expressed facial expressions, constant sharp movements in space, quickly reacting to any external signals (sharp sound, clap, beam of light).

The concept of lability in psychology and physiology

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Lability is a term that is translated from Latin as sliding, unstable. It is used in physiology, medicine, psychology and psychiatry in relation to human thinking and psyche.

What it is

Lability in physiology is the rate of excitation cycles in the tissues of the nervous system and muscles. The definition was introduced by N. E. Vvedensky in 1886. He considered lability to be the period during which tissues are restored after excitation. This value is not constant and is not characterized by rhythm.

Nerve cells are responsible for lability:

1. The most excitable axons are processes that produce up to a thousand impulses per second.
2. Synapses—the places of contact between two neurons—are less labile and transmit up to 150 excitations per second.

Thus, the nervous system regulates the vital processes of the body, determining the mental state of a person.

In psychology, lability is the speed of switching between mental processes and the rate of their occurrence. In academia, the emphasis is on emotions. The degree of manifestation and the frequency of mood swings in a person in life situations are taken into account. Lability is also characterized as a pathology, a negative phenomenon that requires correction when emotions are excessive and changeable.

Psychologists highlight intellectual lability. It involves quickly switching between sources of information and tasks that are not related to each other.

Such individuals have high intelligence, think about issues in transport, in a crowd, while the people around them and the noise do not disturb them. This is not about chaotic switching of attention, but about thoughtful adaptation.

This quality of an individual ensures survival in the modern world and is an advantage.

Lability is often characterized as a pathology, a negative phenomenon that requires correction. But it also manifests an adaptive mental mechanism. Reaction speed and quick switching ensure adaptability and survival in a changing external environment.

To summarize the definitions, lability in science is defined as:

• in a normal situation - mobility;
• dynamic processes;
• in the presence of pathology - mental instability.

The opposite of lability is called rigidity. It is characterized by a stable mental state. But any external changes unsettle a person and cause a negative reaction. Moderate manifestations of lability and rigidity provide advantages. Excessive emotionality or its absence is characterized by psychologists as a pathology.

Causes

Lability is more often considered in psychology as a negative state. However, this property means mental flexibility and helps a person adapt to changing circumstances.

Unwillingness to change your behavior causes no less harm in life than changeability and emotionality. Normally, both components are present in the psyche.

The difficulties are associated with their excessive manifestation.

Increased lability is inherent in people with choleric character and temperament. By nature, they are endowed with a quick emotional reaction.

However, the symptom is also caused by disorders and weakness of the nervous system:

• neurosis;
• psychological trauma in childhood;
• severe stress in the past, a traumatic situation;
• human unpreparedness for social changes.

Physiological factors that form a labile personality type should also be taken into account:

• brain disorders caused by trauma;
• the influence of substances that cause narcotic intoxication and increase excitability;
• oncology;
• heart and vascular diseases.

To establish an accurate diagnosis, physiological causes must first be excluded. Diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the border between emotionality and pathological instability is blurred.

Signs and types

Lability has several varieties, but there are signs common to all conditions.

Distinctive features of a labile personality type:

1. Acute reaction to minor events. If something goes wrong, a person screams, cries, becomes hysterical. Sometimes he falls into deep depression.
2. Sudden mood swings. If a person is pathologically labile, his mood is changeable. He easily moves from irritation, hysteria to joy, jubilation under the influence of an insignificant reason.
3. Fear of difficulties. Labile individuals believe that it is impossible to overcome life's obstacles. The individual avoids them with all his might, communicates little, prefers a narrow circle of friends.
4. Difficulties in communication. A malfunction of the nervous system makes it difficult to communicate with a person due to sudden mood swings.
5. Emotional exhaustion. Mental disorders cause an individual to literally burn out. Mood swings lead to fatigue, weakness, and apathy.
6. Susceptibility to influence. Individuals with mental pathologies often get carried away, find idols, and become attached to them. Sometimes passion reaches the point of absurdity.

These are general indicators that allow one to suspect a patient has mental disorders. But psychologists and psychiatrists identify a number of options for labile character accentuation:

1. Emotional lability. Excessive expression of emotions is accompanied by paradoxical actions and reactions. Resentment is manifested by hysterical laughter, great joy - by a stream of tears. Low lability, on the contrary, makes itself felt by hypoemotionality, when a person hardly expresses feelings.
2. Psycho-emotional lability. Along with emotional arousal, it is accompanied by motor activity. Such individuals are suspicious, frivolous, sensitive to criticism, impressionable, and overly sensitive.
3. Affectively labile type. Negative personality traits are compensated by its good qualities. Such people are open, trusting, and easily fall under the influence of others.
4. Conformal type. This person does not critically evaluate his own and others’ actions, does not know how to control himself, and has difficulty adapting to new conditions.

In complex cases, pathological lability is accompanied by a deterioration in physical condition. With asthenic syndrome, frequent fatigue, dizziness, weakness, and decreased activity are recorded. In this situation, treatment takes place in a hospital.

Diagnostics

The approach to making a diagnosis against the background of negative manifestations of lability is different for children and adults. Until the age of 10, the pathology is almost invisible. Even experienced specialists have difficulty identifying suspicious conditions.

More than 9,000 people have gotten rid of their psychological problems using this technique.

Internal infections also affect the psyche of children. The diseases are mild, chronic in nature, attacks take a long time to pass and return after a short period of time. They may not be the main cause of mental disorders, but they make the condition worse.

In adolescents, lability is more pronounced. But the difficulty of diagnosis lies in the fact that emotional instability is generated by a hormonal surge and is present in every second child aged 12-17 years.

To diagnose a teenager, psychiatrists carefully interview parents, teachers, and friends. The first sign of pathology is frequent mood changes for no apparent reason.

In adolescents, lability is manifested by a reluctance to adapt to others, awareness of emotional instability, and the ability to understand what people think about you. There is no desire for leadership.

Sometimes there is hysterical accentuation, when the child shows egocentrism, but knows how to empathize with others and becomes attached. The demonstrativeness of actions decreases.

In adults, pathological lability is diagnosed based on physiological signs based on information about accompanying circumstances:

• changes in hormonal levels;
• severe stress, turmoil in childhood;
• regular life failures;
• diseases of internal organs;
• avitaminosis;
• lack or excess of microelements.

Human behavior is also assessed. Socialization is difficult due to lack of self-control. There are frequent outbursts of anger and authoritarianism in the family. And although these manifestations smooth out with age, they often prevent a person from building a career and improving his personal life.

Correction and treatment

The interpretation of lability symptoms depends on the qualifications of the psychologist or psychiatrist. He evaluates the significance of the collected observations and makes a decision regarding the diagnosis.

Treatment is prescribed depending on the diagnostic result obtained. It includes:

1. Correction of the patient's behavior is carried out using sedatives and antidepressants.
2. Psychologists work with patients on training volitional qualities, concentration of behavior, and attention. Their influence is aimed at establishing smooth relationships in the patient’s family, minimizing the manifestation of shortcomings, and relieving emotional stress.
3. In parallel, internal diseases, if any, and somatic diseases are treated. The tone of the nervous system decreases, which leads to calmness and concentration.
4. For labile individuals, a regime that allows you to avoid stress and stay in a comfort zone is important. Important components of treatment are sleep, walks in the fresh air, massage, and good nutrition.
5. In severe cases, resort to hypnosis. This is a dangerous but effective method. Hypnosis is used if the pathology is caused by severe stress in childhood or defects in upbringing.

If we are talking about an affective state, an outbreak of aggression, treatment is carried out in a hospital. When assessing the patient’s condition, the psychiatrist takes into account existing signs and the overall picture of the morbidity.

In Europe, lability treatment is carried out in sanatoriums equipped with new equipment. Medical centers are located in famous resorts, which creates a comfortable environment for the patient. Doctors monitor the condition of patients around the clock.

Self-medication for emotional lability is unacceptable. The patient cannot independently cope with mood swings, fight manifestations of aggression or causeless joy. This requires willpower, which patients lack. Self-administration of sedatives is unacceptable: they have serious contraindications and side effects.

Reviews

Emotional lability is inherent in people to varying degrees. Minor mental deviations are rarely noticed by others and attribute emotional instability to temperamental characteristics.

Lability is a trait of many famous people. Thanks to her, they reach heights in creativity and science. Emotional lability is inherent in musicians, artists, and creative individuals. Scientists and writers have intellectual flexibility. Healthy lability opens up new possibilities in a person.

However, behavior correction is recommended for people with pathological deviations. According to patients' reviews, after undergoing treatment, they felt better, improved relationships with others, and learned self-control.

Dmitry 30 years old, St. Petersburg

Since childhood, he was an unbalanced person. It grew with age. The instability of the emotional state prevented the development of abilities and talents, and disrupted the normal rhythm of life. My mother advised me to see a psychologist. After several conversations, I was prescribed sedatives and attended a number of sessions with a specialist. I can’t say that the anxiety has gone away, but life has become easier.

Natalya 28 years old, Nizhny Novgorod

I had problems with communication. I was afraid to speak first, to make acquaintances, to speak in front of an audience. It got in the way. I turned to a psychologist. During the conversation, we found out the reason - fear in childhood. Thanks to sedatives and the work of a psychologist, it was possible to achieve a stable emotional state. I regularly visit a specialist for correction.

Lability is a property of a healthy psyche. But hyper-manifestations of this quality lead to the formation of pathologies that require correction and treatment.

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Source: https://turbo-suslik.org/labilnost/

Behavior adjustment

Treatment in each case is selected individually. Methods and methods of therapy depend on the severity of the clinical picture and the cause of the pathological process. Conventionally, treatment is divided into medicinal and specific. In some cases it is possible to do without pills, but not without non-drug therapy.

Drug treatment

Includes taking sedatives and antidepressants. Sedative medications reduce brain activity and normalize the activity of the central nervous system. Antidepressants normalize the emotional background and increase performance. For physiological disorders, nootropic drugs are prescribed. These include Phezam, Piracetam, Aminolog, Gidazepam.

Valerian, motherwort, glod, Glycine or Glycised are prescribed as a sedative. Drug treatment with tranquilizers and antidepressants is carried out under the supervision of specialists. Medicines are selected individually.

Non-drug therapy

First of all, the provoking factors are eliminated. Sometimes it is enough to normalize your sleep and rest patterns and spend more time outdoors. It is recommended to do breathing exercises, meditate, exercise, and eat right. You must go to bed no later than 10 pm. The central nervous system rests and recovers during sleep. Sleeping between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. is especially beneficial. To get positive emotions, they communicate with pleasant people, watch comedy films, listen to music, and go swimming.

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Individual consultation with a psychologist

In our country, it is not customary to address your problems to a psychologist and pay money for someone to listen to you. A psychologist can be a loved one who sees the situation and knows why negative changes occur. If there is no such person, then you still need to go to a psychologist. The specialist determines the cause of the nervous condition and suggests how to get rid of it. Specific treatment methods include individual psychotherapy, group therapy, and counseling.

biofeedback therapy

The method of rehabilitation treatment stands for biofeedback. It is based on the development of self-control skills in patients to improve their condition. Treatment consists of special training and the use of equipment.

During the session, devices and a computer record changes in the functioning of body systems and transmit the image to the monitor. Information is displayed in the form of visual and audio signals. The patient hears how the body functions and reacts to various stimuli. A person learns to control his work, thereby gaining self-control skills in everyday life.

In 15 sessions, patients master the skills of nervous and muscle relaxation, learn to optimize the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and suppress painful manifestations on their own. The method has a number of contraindications and is not suitable for everyone. Among the contraindications:

• epilepsy;
• obesity;
• impairment of intelligence, memory;
• somatic and endocrine diseases;
• psychopathy;
• children under 5 years of age.

The duration of therapy is determined by the doctor.