Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions for emotional lability: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Emotional Lability (EL) is a common symptom dimension in a variety of psychiatric disorders. However, as it is not typically a diagnosis in its own right, it lacks a consistently applied clinical definition and treatment approach. Therefore, in this review we performed a meta-analysis to determine the effect sizes for treatments of EL across diagnostic categories. We then conducted subgroup analyses to compare effect sizes for pharmacologic (MED) and behavioral (BEH) treatments, according to underlying diagnosis, and according to medication class. We found that pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments are effective for EL, and that the effect sizes were similar - a finding with implications for clinical practice. Our findings also support future research which approaches EL as an important construct independent of underlying diagnosis.

Keywords: Affective Instability; Emotional Lability; Neuroscience and Behavior; Psychopharmacology.