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

Is the pathology correctable? First of all, emotional lability syndrome is a pathology, that is, a deviation from the norm.

The word “lability” itself means mobility and instability. Simply put, the emotions of a particular person are changeable, rushing from one extreme to another, irritating not only the nervous system, but also those around them. In physiology, the term is used to denote the mobility of cells and tissues, their response to a stimulus.

In psychiatry and psychology, emotional lability is the property of the psyche to respond with inadequately expressed affect to an external event. For example, a person with a healthy psyche will calmly react to spilled coffee, but an “unhealthy” person may become very angry.

Increased emotional lability indicates a central manifestation of the disease, personality disorder, and is also a symptom of vascular diseases of the brain and endocrine diseases. Experts note that older people and children are most susceptible to this phenomenon.

Emotional lability syndrome in children is associated with knowledge of the world. Children under 5 years old actively explore everything around them: from the sand under their feet to the contents of upholstered furniture. Their reaction may be inappropriately strong to unexpected “research” results. For example, a soft and fluffy cat suddenly bit or released its claws. For an adult, this situation will be normal, but a child will get scared and start screaming. In this case, increased lability does not indicate pathologies and disorders.

For adults with a healthy psyche, increased emotional lability is not typical. Its signs indicate disorders in the body. The most common cause of pathology is stress.

Causes of nervous disorder

Inappropriate expression of emotions is typical for many people. Increased emotional lability, which manifests itself regularly, requires specialist intervention and correction. Unfortunately, people often ignore such problems and prefer to call the disease a special character trait.

Unstable emotionality can flare up suddenly, be expressed in an inadequate attitude towards certain events and disappear just as suddenly. Short-term stress has this effect on the nervous system. However, similar cases do not signal serious mental health problems. Emotional expression disorder is formed due to the following reasons:

1. prolonged stress;
2. a situation that traumatizes the psyche;
3. endocrine imbalance;
4. vascular and neurological diseases;
5. mental disorders.

Prolonged stress is the most common cause of increased emotional lability. In critical conditions, the body experiences difficulties with an adequate assessment of the situation, which results in intolerance to certain events.

Clinical picture

An emotionally labile person differs from those around him in behavior that is noticeable to everyone.

Psycho-emotional signs:

• hot temper, impulsiveness, hysteria;
• rash, unexpected actions without predicting the results;
• rejection of even the most harmless criticism addressed to oneself, intolerance of other people's views and principles, desire to constantly argue;
• inability to self-control;
• tearfulness;
• loud, uncontrollable laughter;
• sudden mood swings;
• spontaneous, uncontrollable reactions;
• bright flashes of emotions in response to everything that happens.

Symptoms at the physiological level:

• hypersensitivity: a person may experience pain from the slightest touch, pain in the eyes from bright light, migraine from ordinary (even quiet) sounds;
• headache;
• dizziness;
• sound hallucinations (noises, knocking, ringing are heard);
• poor, superficial sleep;
• pressure surges;
• weakness, decreased performance, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, impotence;
• blurred vision.

A person’s emotional lability in its manifestations largely depends on the type of character. Phlegmatic people, for example, become irritated at the slightest disruption to their usual order. Anyone who interferes with his actions may be subject to an outburst of anger, which, however, subsides as quickly as it arose.

Emotionally labile choleric people are hysterical for any reason - both joyful and sad. But, just like phlegmatic people, they burn out quickly, although their manifestations are much brighter. In sanguine people, reactions to what is happening last longer than in others, and they are as strong as in choleric people. Melancholic people most often cry and create dramatic scenes with hand-wringing. Their main mood is tragedy, which they see in every little thing.

Symptoms of pathology

Emotional lability: what is it in adults? Pathology is accompanied by symptoms that can be used to determine the presence of problems. The very definition of the term suggests that the symptoms express emotional instability. This manifests itself in an inadequate reaction to familiar events.

Most often, people with the syndrome react sensitively to touching films and books, emotional conversations, small children and animals. They often cry, but they themselves cannot explain why. Yes, kittens and puppies are cute, but not to the point of tears.

Aggression and self-aggression also take place. In most cases, they flare up sharply and subside just as abruptly. This symptom is considered a defensive reaction when people try to hide their problems. An unobtrusive question about your well-being or mood can lead to inappropriate shouting and attempts to avoid answering.

Frequent mood swings are a clear symptom. A person can enthusiastically play a game for 20 minutes, and a minute later decide that it is all nonsense and a waste of time. He may study the cinema's repertoire with interest and plan to attend a show, and later give up and burst into tears.

The next symptom is expressed in passion for the task. For example, a constant search for a new hobby and a rapid loss of interest indicate emotional lability. Immersion in the study of the history of Ancient China, a quick change of this hobby to cross-stitching, and then to football - all these are symptoms of pathology. Let us highlight the main symptoms of emotional lability syndrome:

• frequent mood changes;
• immoderate passion;
• aggression;
• auto-aggression;
• increased tearfulness.

All these symptoms are characteristic of each individual at different periods of life. If you notice them, there is no need to immediately sound the alarm. It is worth thinking about help when they are expressed quite clearly and are repeated regularly.

Forms of pathology

Pathology in the form of emotional lability is of two types:

• border;
• impulsive.

The borderline type is expressed in apathy, frustration, and indifference. A person susceptible to this type of lability expresses emotions weakly and inactively. Increased anxiety and absent-mindedness may occur.

The impulsive type is the opposite of the borderline type. People suffering from this type of pathology are characterized by a negative mood, anger, and addiction to bad habits. Auto-aggression can result in suicidal tendencies, so it is important for such people to promptly contact specialists for help in solving problems.

Diagnostics

The basis for diagnosing a disease is to find out the underlying problem that gave rise to the development of symptoms.

The presence of instability in the emotional sphere is immediately detected by a psychiatrist.

Next, an examination is carried out by a therapist, neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist . When health problems are detected in one of these profiles, the emphasis is on getting rid of the underlying disease that served as a stimulating factor.

Basic methods of examining patients with mental lability:

1. Conversation . Typical complaints of people suffering from their own emotional instability: problems communicating with relatives and colleagues, frequent mood swings, tearfulness and hysteria, inability to control oneself.
2. Observation .
   A visit to a psychiatrist is a stressful situation for patients, so all existing negative mental characteristics are intensified during communication with a specialist. People begin to react inappropriately to questions, demonstrate increased agitation and irritation, and may begin to cry due to excessive excitement. Often there are obsessive actions that are used by the patient unconsciously in order to relieve muscle tension (rubbing hands, tapping feet, stroking the table, etc.).
3. Psychodiagnostics . A deeper examination of the emotional sphere is carried out using special questionnaires. Proven methods to help determine whether a patient has emotional lability: the Eysenck test, the Cattell questionnaire and other popular methods.

Emotional lability of adolescents - what is it in children?

Inappropriate expression of emotions is typical for people of different age categories. If in adults this is a pathology that requires correction, then does the same apply to children?

First of all, it must be said that a person is exposed to stress at any age. An adult can control his emotional state, but this is more difficult for children.

Adults influence the development of a child’s psyche and emotional state. Peers also matter, but parents and other close people are more important. Children are exposed to stress equally from excessive care and complete indifference on the part of their parents. It is important to find a balance that will allow the little person to grow into a healthy person.

Regardless of upbringing, the child throws tantrums, screaming and lying on the floor in the most inappropriate places. For the first time, he tests how adults will behave. If this situation repeats regularly, the moment is lost. A little manipulator can get carried away and get into the role so much that regular hysterics will lead to constant tension in the nervous system, which results in emotional lability.

Emotional lability: what is it in children - lack of upbringing, pathology or characteristic? Regular manifestation of symptoms signals a problem, and a one-time “action” is a routine check of the extent of what is permitted.

As for teenagers, the question remains open. During puberty and alienation from their parents, children experience a lot of stress due to changes in their body and appearance. In this regard, many of them face problems in communication, in choosing a hobby, and in behavioral strategies. The same algorithm applies here: regular and vivid manifestation of symptoms is a cry for help, rare manifestations are simply a period of growing up.

It doesn’t matter who suffers from emotional lability - a child, an adult, a man, a woman, an elderly person. Anyone can need help, so it is important to use corrective methods and seek professional treatment.

Complications

If left untreated, emotionally labile patients experience constant mental stress and fatigue, and provoke conflicts with others. Often this condition leads to depression, suicidal thoughts, and isolation from society. Nervous exhaustion is manifested by chronic fatigue, development or exacerbation of somatic diseases. A decrease in motivation and focus prevents patients from independently seeking medical and psychological help. When complications develop, they need organizing and stimulating help from relatives.

Methods of correction and treatment

Emotional lability and its treatment are an important aspect in the formation of the personality of children. Adults also require correction, since the pathology does not disappear on its own. Before working with the nervous system, it is necessary to establish the cause of the symptoms.

If this is regular stress, you will have to find its root cause and try to eliminate it. If this is a disease of the cerebral cortex, endocrine or nervous system, therapy with a psychiatrist will be only a small part of the treatment program. In any case, it is worth undergoing an examination of the body and contacting a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Doctors prescribe special medications for adults that can control their emotional state and suppress outbursts of anger, aggression, and expressiveness. Treatment of childhood syndrome occurs differently. Most medications are intended only for adult patients, but other methods of work are used with children.

Emotional lability syndrome in children - is it self-expression or pathology? A character trait can be corrected - this is the responsibility of the parents. If a pathology is detected, specialist intervention is required. Drugs are almost never prescribed to children, since taking them at a young age can lead to serious consequences. If treatment is unavoidable, the doctor gives preference to medications based on herbal ingredients.

To a greater extent, parents influence the correction of emotional lability in a child. Adults need to explain how to control emotions, cope with failure and overcome difficulties. It is upbringing that can instill in a child self-control, calmness and adequacy from early childhood.

Kinds

Lability comes in different types and classifications. For example, there are different types of labile accentuation of the nature of human behavior.

Emotional lability in psychology

If we are talking about a kind of active lability (when a person easily loses his temper and shows too much emotionality), then he also experiences physiological changes (nausea, dizziness, fatigue).

Lability (this is a frequently used definition in psychology) also differs based on how quickly the process of excitation begins.

Therefore it happens:

• Low. As a rule, such lability is observed in people with a rigid nervous system. That is, the personality shows only a minimal reaction, which often remains invisible to others.
• High. When no restraining factors (upbringing, inhibition impulse or character traits) can influence the personality.

Lability also differs based on the type of its manifestation. She may be:

• Impulsive. The human reaction is clearly visible both at the psychological and physiological levels.
• Moderate. This type of lability is also called borderline. This means that everything depends on the specific situation. In one case, a person does not show strong emotions, and in the other, he reacts very sharply.

  

There are also degrees of neglect of lability:

• Light. Deviations in human behavior are barely noticeable.
• Moderate weight. There are obvious mental and vegetative abnormalities in human behavior.
• Heavy. Against the background of increased lability, mental and physiological complications of varying degrees of complexity develop.

There is another parameter by which lability is determined - by the sphere of manifestation.

In this case, lability may be:

• Emotional. A person exhibits lability, the main symptom of which is frequent mood swings, accompanied by too strong reactions.
• Vegetative. In this case, we are talking more about physiological lability, when the main manifestation of psychological instability is a malfunction in the functioning of one or another body system.

These types of manifestations of lability are usually not diagnosed in their pure form. That is, very often the doctor observes symptoms of both conditions. As a result, such people are usually diagnosed with a labile disorder.

There are two other types of lability that are worth considering.

Intelligent

In this case, we are talking about lability, which has a positive effect on the state of the nervous system. That is, the speed of impulses that stimulate excitement is only a plus, since thanks to this a person is able to react much faster to assigned tasks and solve them.

Due to heightened impulses, a person is able to switch much faster to different tasks, even if they are fundamentally different from each other. At the same time, a person makes fewer mistakes when solving problems.

In the modern world, such a manifestation is usually called multitasking. Specialists with similar signs of lability are in even greater demand than people with a high IQ level.

For example, a person who has fairly high intellectual lability is riding a tram. It seems to others that such a person is not busy at all and is simply relaxing.

However, this person actually performs several simultaneous tasks:

• Makes sure not to miss a stop.
• Assesses the physical condition and age of other passengers in order to immediately give way to another person if necessary.
• Mentally draws up a work plan for the day so as not to have to do it in the office and not waste extra time.
• Views the latest world news on a smartphone.
• Corresponds with friends or colleagues in instant messenger or social network.

Moreover, a person does all this not sequentially, but simultaneously.

Social

At the moment, psychology is just beginning to describe this type of lability in more detail. Some experts believe that such a manifestation is a consequence of emotional instability. This means that some signs of this variety will be observed.

It is much more difficult for a person with social lability to build relationships with other people. His relatives and friends note that due to constant mood swings, communication with such a person is simply unbearable. As a result, those around a socially labile person simply turn away from him and stop any contact with him.

But there is another opinion. Other psychologists are convinced that social lability cannot be viewed as something negative. In their opinion, on the contrary, such a state is positive, since in this case we are talking about a person who makes new friends very easily.

Basically, in psychology the classifications described above are used. There is also a classification developed by A.E. Lichko.

Characteristics and properties of character accentuation according to Lichko

A. E. Lichko identified more different types of lability, which mainly relate to children and adolescents:

• Hyperthymic. This type is characteristic of tacticians, entrepreneurs and those people who are able to react very quickly to any changes. Such individuals rise up the career ladder much faster and occupy a higher position. But people of this type are prone to adventures, so they often lose everything and start all over again. Such individuals are pleasant to talk to, they are always in a great mood, active (even too much), and sometimes capricious.
• Cycloid. These are quite irritable people who also often show signs of apathetic mood. Children of the cycloid type often play alone, and adults also prefer not to go to crowded events. These individuals find it difficult to tolerate any failures, are easily irritated, and are often in a depressed mood. Suffer from depression that can last for weeks.
• Sensitive. People of this type show increased sensitivity to sad or, conversely, more joyful events in life. In adolescence, individuals of this type prefer not to participate in outdoor games and are rarely capricious. Growing up, they find a few friends, but treat other people with caution. People around them consider them very reserved and shy. It takes a very long time to adapt to a new team, which makes it difficult to find a job.
• Schizoid. During adolescence, people of this type stay alone or find older companions. They show indifference, which is rather demonstrative in nature. People of this type have practically no feelings, so they are not able to show compassion or empathy. In this regard, individuals of the schizoid type are more often perceived by the environment as hostile.
• Hysterical. People of this type are self-centered and constantly need the attention of others. Such individuals begin to experience irritation and anger if in their presence others pay more attention to another person. People of the hysterical type love to be the center of attention, but they do not become leaders on their own, they cannot organize other people.

  

• Conmorphic. Children and adolescents of this type always follow the leader and cannot form their own opinions. These are a kind of imitators who are ready to do even unseemly acts just to earn the approval of the one they consider their hero.
• Psychasthenic. We are talking about teenagers who spend most of their time thinking and introspecting. They evaluate not only themselves, but also the actions and behavior of others. Because of this constant analysis, children of this type develop faster than their peers and demonstrate high intellectual abilities. However, such people cannot be called rational in everything. In cases where caution and prudence are required, they can perform rather impulsive actions. This personality type rarely changes with age.
• Paranoid. As a rule, this type of accentuation becomes noticeable only by the age of 30-40. Before this, people show more signs of schizoid and epileptoid type of lability. The main feature of such individuals is their overestimation of themselves; they are convinced of their uniqueness.
• Unstable. Usually we are talking about teenagers who do not show any interest in knowledge and prefer to spend time doing idle activities. Such people have absolutely no goals, even minimal ones.
• Emotionally labile. People of this type are characterized by very frequent and dramatic mood swings. Moreover, the most insignificant event can become the reason for this.
• Epileptoid. Representatives of this type of lability are very tearful at a young age. As they grow older, they begin to show signs of cruelty, which is directed towards other people and animals. Usually the targets of abuse are those who are physically unable to fight back. Also, representatives of the epileptoid type are characterized by pride and a desire to achieve power. They become leaders in the company and impose their point of view on others.

Prevention

Prevention of emotional lability is implemented throughout life. It can be roughly divided into 4 important stages:

1. child;
2. teenager;
3. adult;
4. elderly.

Each life stage has its own characteristics. Tantrums and unstable emotional state of the child are corrected by patience and personal example of parents and other adults. Children are a mirror image of their parents, so you need to take care of yourself first of all.

Teenagers are a special category, since development during this period is characterized by rebellion. There are exceptions, but they are rare. It is important to talk to teenagers who are prone to emotional swings as if they were adults and try to understand them. Shouting, threats and punishment will not lead to positive results. And again - personal example. When a teenager sees that a parent is calm, trusts his child and perceives information adequately, then he himself becomes the same.

An adult must control himself and monitor outbursts of emotions. Ignoring the problem does not help solve it, but only makes the situation worse. Here it is important to listen to the opinions of loved ones. If they notice emotional instability, mood swings and other symptoms, then they still need to monitor themselves. In other words, for an adult, the prevention of emotional lability consists mostly of self-control.

Older people are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, such as senile dementia. Prevention for this category of people should be a continuation of work on oneself. Tracking your emotional state will help you avoid serious problems in the future, so you need to avoid stressful situations and take care of your nervous system.