Crying is a physiological and emotional response involving lacrimation (tear production), facial muscle activation, and often vocalisation, triggered by a range of emotional and physical states including sadness, grief, frustration, relief, joy, empathy, or pain. It serves important social signalling and emotional regulation functions — research suggests crying facilitates the release of stress hormones and endorphin responses that may promote emotional recovery. As a presenting symptom, the clinical significance of crying depends on its context: frequent, distressing, or involuntary crying in the context of persistent low mood suggests a depressive episode.

What lifestyle changes can help with crying?

Psychotherapy (grief, trauma-informed), Somatic Therapy, Holotropic Breathwork, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine (nervines, Lung tonics), Nutritional Therapy (hormonal support), emotional regulation skill-building.

What integrative approaches support crying?

Psychotherapy has strong evidence for emotional processing and reducing the distress associated with excessive crying in the context of depression or grief. Trauma-informed therapy addresses suppressed grief and facilitates healthy emotional release. For pseudobulbar affect, dextromethorphan/quinidine has FDA-approved evidence. Somatic and body-oriented therapies explicitly work with the emotional release capacity of the body including tears.

When should I seek professional support for crying?

Crying that is involuntary and disproportionate to context — pseudobulbar affect assessment. Crying as part of persistent low mood with other depressive features. Crying accompanied by thoughts of self-harm. Inability to control crying affecting work or relationships.

emotionalAlternativeComplementaryHolistic

Crying

Release of tears in response to emotional experience; normal and adaptive, but clinically relevant when excessive, involuntary, or disproportionate.

Understand what may be causing this

Reviewed by Internal Medical Editorial Team · Integrative Health Content Review26 March 2026Moderate Evidence

Quick answer

Crying (ICD-10: R45.2; ICD-11: MB24) is the release of tears in response to emotional distress, pain, or relief — a normal human response. Uncontrollable or involuntary pathological crying may indicate pseudobulbar affect, depression, or neurological conditions.

Recognition

Do any of these feel familiar?

Excessive or distressing crying often generates shame — people feel embarrassed by their inability to control emotional expression, particularly in professional or social contexts. There may be confusion about why they are crying when the emotional context does not seem to warrant it. Understanding the neurological or hormonal substrate can provide reassurance.

What is Crying?

Release of tears in response to emotional experience; normal and adaptive, but clinically relevant when excessive, involuntary, or disproportionate.

Approaches Commonly Explored

Commonly explored for conditions related to Crying, grouped by mechanism — select your subtype above to highlight the most relevant path.

Integrates across:ComplementaryMetaphysicalAlternative

How to use these approaches

🛡 Stabilise— Immediate relief

⚖️ Regulate— System balancing

🌱 Resolve— Root cause

✦ Sustain— Long-term

Most people begin with Stabilise approaches, then progress toward Resolve and Sustain.

Psychological Mechanism

Cognitive patterns, emotional processing, and stress response.

Other Mechanism

Psychotherapy

ComplementaryStrong

Mindfulness

MetaphysicalStrong

Doula Therapies

AlternativeModerate

Gestalt Therapy

ComplementaryModerate

Inner Strength

MetaphysicalModerate

Expressive Arts

AlternativeModerate

Other Mechanism

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

ComplementaryStrong

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Crying

Do any of these feel familiar?

Approaches Commonly Explored

Breastfeeding

Positive Parenting

Prenatal Care

Specialty Massage

Nidra Yoga

Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychotherapy

Mindfulness

Doula Therapies

Gestalt Therapy

Inner Strength

Expressive Arts

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Ready to find support for Crying?

What You Can Do Now

This symptom is often connected to

Adjustment disorder

Grief & Loss

Postpartum depression

Separation anxiety disorder

Emotional Processing

Ask Vidi about Crying

About Crying

Integrative Approaches & Evidence

When to Seek Support

Frequently Asked Questions

References