What Causes Uncontrollable Emotions?

Most people are able to control emotions. There are times we feel anger or joy, but our behavior remains within a normal range. Emotions brought on by certain life experiences, however, sometimes overwhelm a person. A traumatic event triggers a wave of emotion, and controlling behavior becomes too challenging. Other times, there is no external trigger. A change occurs within a person's body leading to erratic behavior and unexplained feelings.

Death of a Loved One

• The death of a loved one is one of the worst experiences a person encounters. Though everyone has to eventually deal with the emotions connected with loss, few are fully prepared when the time arrives. Emotions a person feels following a loved one's death include anger, guilt, depression and hopelessness. These emotions are sometimes so overwhelming that a person is unable to control her feelings and behavior. The overwhelming emotions are accompanied by physical symptoms including loss of appetite, insomnia, difficulty focusing and pain with no physiological explanation.

Drug or Alcohol Addiction

• When a person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he lacks self-control. This includes emotions. Even people who are not regular users feel a rush of intense emotion after consuming too much alcohol. A person struggling with addiction sometimes loses his ability to control his emotions on a regular basis. This lack of control leads to arguments with loved ones, violence and poor decision making. Though these emotions are mild before introduction of the substance into the body, the alcohol or drug intensifies the feeling.

Biological Changes

• Sometimes uncontrollable emotions are caused by something happening internally. If a person is experiencing an imbalance within her body, it affects her feelings and leads to emotional outbursts. A shift in the chemical balance in a person's body is sometimes caused by premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy or menopause. These occurrences trigger sleep disturbances, further aggravating uncontrollable emotions. Depression also causes chemical changes in the body. The emotions felt when suffering from depression are intense and seemingly uncontrollable.

Joyful Occasions

• Not all things causing uncontrollable emotions are unpleasant. A person is sometimes flooded with emotion during joyous occasions such as a wedding or the birth of a child. The rush of feelings leads to laughter and tears of happiness.