Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptoms of a Labile AffectCauses of a Labile AffectIdentifying a Labile AffectTreatment for a Labile AffectHow to Cope With a Labile Affect

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms of a Labile Affect

Causes of a Labile Affect

Identifying a Labile Affect

Treatment for a Labile Affect

How to Cope With a Labile Affect

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At a Glance

A labile affect ranges in severity and symptoms. People who have this condition might exhibit it in the following ways:

People with labile affect might think they simply have mood swings, but they tend to have more intense emotional reactions to situations than the typical person. The condition is also calledemotional lability,pseudobulbaraffect (PBA),inappropriate affect, labile mood, or involuntary emotional expression disorder (IEED).

The word “labile” specifically means constantly going through change. Labile affect is a lot more severe than simply experiencing mood swings. For some people, it could significantly disrupt their personal lives.

A person with labile affect might sometimes not even be aware of the emotions they are exhibiting or that the emotions are inappropriate. They will experience frequent and sudden mood swings and, sometimes, could even be aggressive.

Emotions and Types of Emotional Responses

A neurological or psychotic condition or a traumatic brain injury could cause a labile affect. When a neurological disorder causes it, there’s typically a disconnect in the brain that affects how communication signals are sent. With psychotic conditions,delusionsand hallucinations could make a person express emotions inappropriately.

Labile affect has been linked to the following conditions:

A brain injury or an underlying condition does not always cause a labile affect. Other possible triggers for a labile affect include:

Labile affect can also occur as a side effect of some medications. These medications include some antidepressants and oral corticosteroids.

Some evidence indicates that experiencing labile affect may be a preceding characteristic for the later onset of bipolar disorder in some people.

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If an underlying condition is causing your labile affect, you’ll be treated for that condition. However, having occasional mood swings doesn’t mean you have a labile affect.

When trying to diagnose labile affect, your doctor might ask you some of the following questions:

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Labile affect can create significant disruptions in a person’s ability to function in their everyday life. People experiencing this symptom are prone to sudden and extreme mood swings and could have violent tantrums. However, with the proper treatment, they can function relatively well in their day-to-day life.

Treatment for labile affect typically depends on what’s causing it. If an underlying condition triggers it, treating the disorder could cause labile effect symptoms to diminish.

In mild cases, this condition might not even need treatment. Many people express inappropriate emotions in certain situations from time to time.

However, if you are experiencing labile moods often, speak to your doctor about it. Either medication or therapy could be used to treat a labile affect. Often a combination of both will be considered.

Medication

Medication is prescribed to treat labile affect per a person’s specific needs. Things like the severity of your conditions and other existing conditions you might have will be considered. The following medications are typically prescribed:

Psychotherapy

Therapy may also help people who have a mental health condition that causes labile affect. Types of therapy that may be effective includecognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) anddialectical behavior therapy(DBT). CBT can help people change negative thought patterns that have an effect on mood,while DBT can help improveemotional regulationanddistress tolerance.

Depending on its severity, a labile affect could go away with time. Paying closer attention to your emotional response to specific situations will help you cope with a labile affect.

If an underlying condition orbrain injurydoesn’t cause your mood affect, you might not need treatment, and it could go away with some coping strategies like these:

Practice Breathing Exercises

A great way to get a hold of your emotions is to practicebreathing exercises. Taking slow and controlled breaths could decrease the severity of labile moods.

Distract Yourself

When going through a labile mood, you could also attempt to distract yourself. If you are in a situation you think might be triggering, you should remove yourself from that situation.

Seek Support

Identify Your Triggers

With a labile affect, a switch in your mood might seem to come out of nowhere, but there are triggers in most cases. The next time you experience an uncharacteristic mood change, pay attention to what you are doing and the things around you.

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9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Demler TL.Introduction to pseudobulbar affect: setting the stage for recognition and familiarity with this challenging disorder.Am J Manag Care. 2017;23(18 Suppl):S339-S344.Goldin DS.Pseudobulbar affect: An overview.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(9):19-24. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200624-08Kapugi M, Cunningham K.Corticosteroids.Orthopaedic Nursing.2019;38(5):336-339. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000595Taylor RH, Ulrichsen A, Young AH, Strawbridge R.Affective lability as a prospective predictor of subsequent bipolar disorder diagnosis: a systematic review.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2021;9(1):33. doi:10.1186/s40345-021-00237-1Van Liefferinge D, Sonuga-Barke E, Danckaerts M, Fayn K, Van Broeck N, van der Oord S.Measuring child and adolescent emotional lability: How do questionnaire-based ratings relate to experienced and observed emotion in everyday life and experimental settings?.Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018;27(3):e1720. doi:10.1002/mpr.1720University of Michigan Health.Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). August 4, 2020Cruz MP.Nuedexta for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect: a condition of involuntary crying or laughing.P T. 2013;38(6):325-328.Kazantzis N, Luong HK, Usatoff AS, Impala T, Yew RY, Hofmann SG.The processes of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cogn Ther Res. 2018;42(4):349-357. doi:10.1007/s10608-018-9920-yMay JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740%2Fmhc.2016.03.62

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Demler TL.Introduction to pseudobulbar affect: setting the stage for recognition and familiarity with this challenging disorder.Am J Manag Care. 2017;23(18 Suppl):S339-S344.Goldin DS.Pseudobulbar affect: An overview.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(9):19-24. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200624-08Kapugi M, Cunningham K.Corticosteroids.Orthopaedic Nursing.2019;38(5):336-339. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000595Taylor RH, Ulrichsen A, Young AH, Strawbridge R.Affective lability as a prospective predictor of subsequent bipolar disorder diagnosis: a systematic review.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2021;9(1):33. doi:10.1186/s40345-021-00237-1Van Liefferinge D, Sonuga-Barke E, Danckaerts M, Fayn K, Van Broeck N, van der Oord S.Measuring child and adolescent emotional lability: How do questionnaire-based ratings relate to experienced and observed emotion in everyday life and experimental settings?.Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018;27(3):e1720. doi:10.1002/mpr.1720University of Michigan Health.Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). August 4, 2020Cruz MP.Nuedexta for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect: a condition of involuntary crying or laughing.P T. 2013;38(6):325-328.Kazantzis N, Luong HK, Usatoff AS, Impala T, Yew RY, Hofmann SG.The processes of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cogn Ther Res. 2018;42(4):349-357. doi:10.1007/s10608-018-9920-yMay JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740%2Fmhc.2016.03.62

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Demler TL.Introduction to pseudobulbar affect: setting the stage for recognition and familiarity with this challenging disorder.Am J Manag Care. 2017;23(18 Suppl):S339-S344.Goldin DS.Pseudobulbar affect: An overview.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(9):19-24. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200624-08Kapugi M, Cunningham K.Corticosteroids.Orthopaedic Nursing.2019;38(5):336-339. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000595Taylor RH, Ulrichsen A, Young AH, Strawbridge R.Affective lability as a prospective predictor of subsequent bipolar disorder diagnosis: a systematic review.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2021;9(1):33. doi:10.1186/s40345-021-00237-1Van Liefferinge D, Sonuga-Barke E, Danckaerts M, Fayn K, Van Broeck N, van der Oord S.Measuring child and adolescent emotional lability: How do questionnaire-based ratings relate to experienced and observed emotion in everyday life and experimental settings?.Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018;27(3):e1720. doi:10.1002/mpr.1720University of Michigan Health.Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). August 4, 2020Cruz MP.Nuedexta for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect: a condition of involuntary crying or laughing.P T. 2013;38(6):325-328.Kazantzis N, Luong HK, Usatoff AS, Impala T, Yew RY, Hofmann SG.The processes of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cogn Ther Res. 2018;42(4):349-357. doi:10.1007/s10608-018-9920-yMay JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740%2Fmhc.2016.03.62

Demler TL.Introduction to pseudobulbar affect: setting the stage for recognition and familiarity with this challenging disorder.Am J Manag Care. 2017;23(18 Suppl):S339-S344.

Goldin DS.Pseudobulbar affect: An overview.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(9):19-24. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200624-08

Kapugi M, Cunningham K.Corticosteroids.Orthopaedic Nursing.2019;38(5):336-339. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000595

Taylor RH, Ulrichsen A, Young AH, Strawbridge R.Affective lability as a prospective predictor of subsequent bipolar disorder diagnosis: a systematic review.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2021;9(1):33. doi:10.1186/s40345-021-00237-1

Van Liefferinge D, Sonuga-Barke E, Danckaerts M, Fayn K, Van Broeck N, van der Oord S.Measuring child and adolescent emotional lability: How do questionnaire-based ratings relate to experienced and observed emotion in everyday life and experimental settings?.Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018;27(3):e1720. doi:10.1002/mpr.1720

University of Michigan Health.Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). August 4, 2020

Cruz MP.Nuedexta for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect: a condition of involuntary crying or laughing.P T. 2013;38(6):325-328.

Kazantzis N, Luong HK, Usatoff AS, Impala T, Yew RY, Hofmann SG.The processes of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cogn Ther Res. 2018;42(4):349-357. doi:10.1007/s10608-018-9920-y

May JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740%2Fmhc.2016.03.62

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