Abstract
Stringaris and Goodman operationalise mood lability as noteworthy changes in mood by amplitude, frequency, or rapidity — common in community youth, associated with impairment, and linked to both internalising and externalising comorbidity.
Stringaris, A., & Goodman, R. (2008). Psychological Medicine, 39(8), 1237–1245. DOI
Key findings
- Lability prevalence — Roughly one in four youth report at least a little mood lability; clinically significant swings are not rare in the general population.
- Impairment without diagnosis — Significant lability predicts impairment even when youth do not meet full psychiatric diagnoses.
- Transdiagnostic signal — Lability associates with both internalising and externalising disorders — not a marker of one narrow category.
Application
When you name a rapid emotional swing, treat amplitude and frequency as data — not automatic proof you should quit the underlying project.