Brief Answer: Explained below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! From what you have written, it appears that the crying occurs when you talk about things that make you emotional. It is never inappropriate, for example crying when talking about the weather and so on. If this is so, then I do not think there is anything wrong with you. You are simply a very sensitive person who is empathetic to the pain of others and at times if this makes you cry, it does not mean that you are abnormal. Moreover this has been since your childhood. That again indicates that this is simply your personality and not due to some mental illness or brain disorder. There are some areas of brain which when damaged, can lead to pathological laughter and crying. But in that case one is able to point out when the problem started and the symptoms are also different. There are bouts of crying and laughter which are exaggerated, uncontrollable and many times inappropriate to the situation. It is possible for people to become more sensitive and prone to tears at times of stress. For example, if you were to suffer from a depressive episode or just low mood because of any incident, you will find the episodes of crying are more frequent. To ensure that you do not end up in tears in front of others, try imagining a happy scene whenever you feel the topic under discussion may make you cry. Also try to change the topic or if possible, leave the room on some pretext or other. Above all, accept yourself as you are and ignore people who criticize you for your emotional nature. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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