Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine  2013;21(2):93-98

Pathological Laughing and Crying: Pathophysiology and Treatment.

Ji Hyun KIM ; Beom Woo NAM ; Jin Yong CHOI

Keywords

Pathological laughing and crying; Emotional incontinence; Pathophysiology; Treatment

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Pathological laughing and crying(PLC) is a condition that is characterized by episodic, brief, contextually inappropriate, uncontrollable outbursts of laughing and/or crying. It can be observed in patients with various neurological disorders. PLC often causes distress in interpersonal functioning and activities for patients and their families. PLC can be recognized easily with proper understanding of the condition and its nature. Also it generally shows good response to various pharmacological treatments. This review aims to encourage the diagnosis and treatment of PLC by providing definition and clinical presentation of PLC, analysis of its pathophysiology and various current treatment options.