Energy, thinking and mood
Laughing or crying that does not match how you feel
Sudden episodes of laughing or crying that come on without warning and do not match what you are actually feeling.
The clinical word for this is .
Still being checked
What this is
This is a change in a pathway in the brain, not a change in your emotions. The expression and the feeling have come apart, so you can find yourself crying when you are not sad, or laughing at something that is not funny. Naming it often brings relief on its own, for the person and for family who may have been reading it as distress.
What people often describe
- Crying that starts suddenly and stops just as suddenly
- Laughing at a moment when you do not feel amused, sometimes an awkward one
- Episodes that are triggered by something small, or by nothing
- Finding it embarrassing in company, and avoiding situations because of it
Important distinctions
This is the distinction that matters most. Low mood is a feeling that persists. This is an expression that does not match a feeling. They can occur together, and telling them apart matters because they are managed differently.
Changes in thinking, planning or behaviour are a different thing again, and are assessed separately.
What may help
This page lists options that are used for this problem and says where each one comes from. It is not a ranking, it is not a recommendation, and it is not personalised to you. What suits you is a decision for you and your care team.
Allied health
What a therapist can assess, teach or adjust.
Medicines
Named here only where a guideline names them for this problem.
A medicine is named here only where a published guideline names it for this problem, and the guideline's own words are shown beside it. Compass does not advise on doses, and does not say which medicine is right for anyone.
Who may help
Where Compass explains this
Questions
- What is pseudobulbar affect, and how is it different from depression or grief?
- How can ALS/MND affect emotional wellbeing and mental health?
- What can help, and how can family and carers respond?
Cards
Related
Other problems
Words explained
About this page
This page lists options that are used for this problem and says where each one comes from. It is not a ranking, it is not a recommendation, and it is not personalised to you. What suits you is a decision for you and your care team.
Evidence for this page
The sources behind the statements on this page, and where to find them. Compass does not decide which option is right for anyone.
Statement 1 of 2. Understanding what is happening, and telling the people around you what may happen and how you would like them to respond, is often the most useful step.
Supports this. Emotional and psychological support for people with or affected by MND — MND Association · Practical guide · November 2023
An MND association explains that MND can affect the pathway between the outer layer of the brain and the brain stem, which is why the response does not match the feeling.
“This is why your responses may not match how you feel.”
3: How do I manage emotional lability?Link checked August 2026
Statement 2 of 2. Where episodes are limiting what you do, medication is an option to raise with a GP or a neurological specialist.
Supports this. Emotional and psychological support for people with or affected by MND — MND Association · Practical guide · November 2023
An MND association says that where emotional lability limits what somebody does, medication may help, and names the route to it as a GP or a referral to a neurological specialist.
“If it limits what you do, medication may help - ask your GP for guidance or referral to a neurological specialist.”
3: How do I manage emotional lability?Link checked August 2026