Signs and predisposing factors of emotional lability. Syndrome of increased emotional lability

Emotional lability appears as a result of physical health problems, when you feel not secure and strong enough to defend your own interests. Of great importance in the appearance of emotional lability is the lack of life experience and certain knowledge. The cause of a strong emotional outburst can be a minor irritant. People who have emotional lability can not melodrama without tears, they are easily out of balance and succumb to any provocation if there are those who want to play on their feelings.

In most cases, the main reason for the appearance of emotional lability is improper upbringing in childhood.

Emotional lability implies a weak character. These people have a special behavior. A person with emotional lability can laugh merrily, and then after a short time, without any visible, become discouraged.

People who have a weak character are subject to rapid mood swings and are completely dependent on circumstances. For them, the psychological situation in the team is very important, since even the slightest rudeness or thoughtlessness can lead such a person to a state of deep despondency. Such employees refuse a higher position, knowing that in a new place they will be led by a person with a reputation for being rude. The possibility of conflict situations can cause them a feeling of fear, so people with emotional lability try not to communicate with harsh and rude colleagues.

Emotional lability: treatment

Emotional lability can accompany serious health problems: vascular diseases, its organic, asthenic conditions, hypotension, atherosclerosis, brain cancer. If a person believes that he has a weak character, and this problem destroys his or someone else's life, it is recommended to seek the advice of a psychiatrist or neurologist.

Before contacting a psychiatrist, you should be examined by other specialists to exclude the presence of other diseases.

If emotional lability is not caused by other health problems, the doctor will prescribe an individual treatment course. In the asthenic condition, strengthening therapy, an increase in rest time, and sedatives are indicated. Antidepressants may be prescribed to alleviate emotional lability.

From the point of view of the physiology of higher nervous activity, emotion means an impulse to action. The word is derived from the Latin verb "emovere" - I excite. In relation to emotion, the object of excitation is the cerebral cortex, which generates a mental reaction. According to the teachings of Academician Anokhin, any motivation is generated by emotion. Moreover, before the launch of a functional system, any emotion is considered negative until a positive result is achieved. If the goal turns out to be unattainable, the emotion will remain negative. When the human nervous system is weakened, emotional lability occurs, which is characterized by an instant reaction to any stimuli. It does not matter at all with what sign - "plus" or "minus".

An emotionally labile personality equally sharply reacts to positive and negative stressors. Changes in the environment cause an instantaneous, violent reaction. A person cries with happiness or, conversely, resentment gives rise to hysterical laughter. This is where emotional lability is manifested, as opposed to stability. The opposite state is called rigidity in psychology, and emotional flatness in psychiatry. The absence of emotions is much more dangerous for human health. Loss of motivation leads to exhaustion faster than an explosion of emotions.

Emotional lability: symptoms

Disorders of an emotionally unstable personality are characterized by impulsiveness, spontaneity of actions in the absence of self-control and without taking into account possible consequences. At the same time, affective outbursts arise for insignificant reasons. In psychiatry, borderline states include emotional lability, the symptoms of which manifest themselves depending on the personality type. There are two types of emotional weakness:

• Impulsive;
• Border.

When the emotional sphere is disturbed by an impulsive type, a persistent state of dysphoria develops, that is, an evil-dreary mood, interspersed with outbursts of anger. People who have emotional lability are quarrelsome in a team, because they always claim leadership without taking into account their own abilities. In family life, excitable individuals express dissatisfaction with daily worries, considering them routine and not worthy of attention. Therefore, conflicts often arise, accompanied by breaking dishes and using physical violence against family members. The person is uncompromising, vindictive, vindictive. In the absence of progression, emotional lability smoothes out with age, and by the age of 30-40, excitable men calm down, "gain life experience." In women, as a rule, violent emotional outbursts become a thing of the past after the birth of children. This is due to hormonal changes during childbearing.

Under unfavorable conditions, patients lead a disorderly life, often resorting to alcohol, which leads to the commission of aggressive antisocial acts.

The borderline type of personality disorders is characterized by increased impressionability, vividness of the imagination, and increased enthusiasm. This emotional lability breeds workaholics. People with borderline emotional disorder are easily influenced by others. They easily and with pleasure adopt "bad habits", norms of behavior not encouraged by society. Borderline personalities go from extreme to extreme, so they often end marriages, quit their jobs, and change their place of residence.

Emotional lability in children

In society, the point of view is accepted that capricious children are the result of poor upbringing. This is true, but only in part. There is a relationship between lack of attention and the development of neurasthenia syndrome in a child. Established emotional lability in children leads to nervous exhaustion, which, in turn, enhances the mental reaction. The kid requires increased attention, so he arranges "scene". This is characteristic of the hysterical development of personality. People with such a psychotype, as they say, are difficult to please. Strict upbringing generates protest, increasing emotional lability, indulgence in any whims leads to similar results.

If, from the point of view of others, the child is not deprived of attention, the reason for the heightened perception of a change in the environment should be regarded as the development of a neurosis. Neurotic disorder, in turn, is subject to treatment.

Emotional lability, treatment of neuroses

The causes of neurotic states are psychotraumatic situations. When the cause is eliminated, emotional lability disappears - treatment by a psychiatrist guarantees positive results with timely treatment. It is necessary to pay attention to the child from a young age. Manifestations of negativism - denial of the demands of adults - should alert parents.

When emotional lability is formed in old age, drugs for treatment are aimed at improving the blood circulation of the brain. If nervous excitability is due to organic lesions of the nervous system, emotional lability also appears, the treatment of which is to combat the underlying disease. This is the work of neurosurgeons and neuropathologists.

Over-the-counter nootropics are indicated for all kinds of emotional instability. Herbal sedatives have a good effect.

There is a big difference between conventional wisdom and medical diagnoses. Especially when emotional lability develops, drugs for the treatment of which should be taken only on the recommendation of a specialist psychiatrist. The help of a psychologist, of course, has a positive effect, but does not eliminate the causes of mental disorders.

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Emotional lability in psychology is a pathology of the nervous system, characterized by mood instability, its sudden changes for no apparent reason. This condition can be observed both in adults and in children of different ages. A person who is characterized by this feature reacts equally sharply to negative and positive pathogens. Emotional lability syndrome very often accompanies vascular pathologies and organic diseases of the brain, and also occurs in asthenic conditions.

The mental reaction of a person in response to any stimulus is stimulated by the cerebral cortex. When the nervous system is weakened, emotional lability arises, provoking a lightning-fast reaction to even the most insignificant stimulus. A person with this pathology is able to cry bitterly from happiness or laugh hysterically from resentment. In psychology, there is also the opposite concept - rigidity, characterized by emotional scarcity. It is worth noting that, according to experts, the absence of positive and negative emotions affects mental health much worse than their excessive manifestation.

Predisposing factors

Such a nervous breakdown as emotional lability can have quite a variety of causes. Most often, the development of a pathological condition contributes to:

• prolonged emotional stress;
• frequent stressful situations;
• lack of attention of others or, conversely, constant being in the spotlight;
• psychological trauma experienced in childhood or already in adulthood;
• somatic diseases, in particular, endocrine pathologies and hormonal imbalance, which occurs, for example, in pregnant women or in menopause;
• vitamin deficiency.

In some cases, increased emotionality acts as a symptom. Thus, it can accompany tumor diseases of the brain, atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels, hypertension, organic pathologies of the brain, asthenia, traumatic brain injury, etc.

signs

Symptoms of emotional weakness usually manifest themselves in impulsiveness, lack of self-control, and reckless actions without considering the possible negative consequences. Manifestations of pathology depend on the warehouse and characteristics of a particular individual. In psychology, there are two types of emotional lability: impulsive and borderline. In the first case, the signs of the disease are manifested in dysphoria, that is, in a dreary and even angry mood, constant discontent, quarrelsomeness, sudden outbursts of anger. People with a similar disorder in a fit of rage can commit violent acts towards others. It should be noted that in the absence of progression, the disease tends to smooth out over the years. In women, this usually occurs due to hormonal changes in the body after childbirth.

The borderline type of emotional lability is characterized by excessive impressionability, developed imagination, and enthusiasm. People with this disease are usually very suggestible, often change interests, and are restless. People with this disorder are usually said to go from one extreme to another.

Manifestations in childhood

In modern society, the generally accepted point of view is that the capriciousness of children is always the result of errors in education. However, this statement can be considered true only partially. The fact is that there is a clear connection between the development of pathologies of the nervous system in a child and the lack of attention from adults and peers. High excitability in children can gradually lead to nervous exhaustion, which further exacerbates the symptoms of emotional weakness.

A child with a similar disorder constantly requires attention, and in its absence throws tantrums and makes scenes. At the same time, both excessively strict upbringing with constant prohibitions and punishments, and indulgence in whims can aggravate the condition of such children. Emotional lability in childhood may be a sign of the development of neurosis.

In adolescent children, weakness of the nervous system does not always indicate a disease. Here, circumstances typical of adolescents come to the fore: hormonal changes in the body, difficulties with socialization. Here it is important to determine whether the existing manifestations of emotional lability fit into the criteria of the norm, however, these criteria have rather blurred boundaries.

Correction

Emotional lability can be corrected, but it is worth considering that the therapeutic course is always selected depending on the root cause of the pathological condition. To find out the cause, the patient must undergo a comprehensive examination, after which the doctor will select an adequate therapy. First of all, treatment of the underlying disease that caused emotional lability is prescribed. As a rule, patients are prescribed a course of general strengthening therapy, and, if necessary, antidepressants or other drugs that stabilize mental activity. Correction can also be carried out with the help of psychotherapy, it is especially important if some mental disorder has formed the basis of the pathology.

The treatment of children requires a special approach, since standard schemes are not applicable for small patients. If the need for drug therapy arises, children are usually given safe, plant-based sedatives. As the child grows older, constant work should be carried out with him, aimed at teaching him to effectively cope with bouts of lability and, most importantly, not to be afraid of his condition. Otherwise, emotional lability can lead to panic attacks.

Observing different people in different situations, you can see that they react differently to the same event. Some adequately assess the state of affairs, and their reaction corresponds to the situation. Others respond to the same stimuli in a different way, their emotions have a pronounced color, often negative, which even scares outsiders a little. In psychology, such behavior with violent outbursts of emotions and frequent mood swings is called emotional lability, and it is associated with a certain type of temperament (such reactions characterize choleric people). Here we are faced with an innate characteristic of the personality, which manifests itself under the influence of the environment.

The same concept, but with regard to neuropsychiatric disorders, is used in physiology and psychiatry. Not all people with a choleric temperament type are characterized by sudden mood swings and outbursts of aggression, which is characteristic of emotionally labile people. Such behavioral patterns can be caused by various factors, ranging from lack of attention in childhood to organic damage to brain structures.

Emotional lability is a pathology of the nervous system, which is characterized by unstable mood and its change. The main feature of the pathology is that it occurs under the influence of events that do not imply a vivid reaction. Of course, the problem of the norm in psychiatry still persists, therefore, before making a diagnosis of "emotional lability", one must take into account the structure of a person's temperament and his age. Thus, such a feature of the nervous system in adolescents is far from being pathological in all cases: hormonal surges and the problem of socialization, as well as the general formation of the personality, can proceed with nervous and emotional instability. Here it is necessary to take into account the radical nature of manifestations relative to the norm, but the norm, again, does not have clear boundaries.

General characteristics and symptoms

The lability of the nervous system is referred to as one of its properties in differential psychology. This means the speed of occurrence and termination of nervous processes, and in general, functional mobility is called lability.

Emotional lability can reach a high degree in its manifestation, up to affective explosiveness.

Features of other types can be superimposed on it:

• Hysteroid.
• Unstable.
• Sensitive.

Labile-affective psychopathy can be combined with manifestations of the above types.

It is characterized by the following features and conditions:

1. The occurrence of affective outbursts for an insignificant reason: they quickly arise and quickly pass;
2. Change of angry state with tears;
3. Lack of gross aggression;
4. Accompanied by affect, there are: crying, swearing, throwing things, moaning.
5. Frequent mood swings lead to restlessness and lack of concentration, as well as a quick change of interests (therefore, there are often conflicts and problems in the family, at work, in school).
6. Lack of adequate assessment of their behavior.

Emotional lability in asthenic syndrome

Without establishing and curing the cause-disease, it is impossible to stabilize the excited emotionality, therefore the main therapy is aimed precisely at the “original source”.

To alleviate the state of emotional lability, you should take sedative teas and antidepressants (for example, valerian root tea).