TREATMENTS &
RESEARCH

Search the
latest
treatment
information
here.

Dr. Huntley's
Diagnosis
Checklist

Have a symptom?
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
 

Symptom: Laughter



Introduction: Laughter

Laughter: Laughter as a symptom (e.g. inappropriate laughter). See detailed information below for a list of 9 causes of Laughter, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Laughter: full list

Causes of Laughter:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Laughter. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

See full list of 9 causes of Laughter

» Review Causes of Laughter: full list

Laughter: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Laughter, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

See full list of 153 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Laughter

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Laughter

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Laughter:

Diagnostic tests for Laughter:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Laughter. Some of these are listed below :

  • Mental state examination - including appearance, behavior, rate and continuity of speech, mood, affect, thought content, evidence of any hallucinations or abnormal beliefs, orientation to time, place and person, attention and concentration, short-term memory, insight and judgement.
  • Mini-mental state examination - if multi-infarct dementia is suspected to test memory and cognitive function.
  • Physical examination
    • If suspect multi-infarct dementia, examine for signs of vascular pathology e.g. high blood pressure, signs of previous strokes
    • If in an infant or child, examine for signs of Angelman's syndrome including severe intellectual disability and developmental delay (failure to match developmental milestones of other children such as delays in sitting and walking, delay in fine motor skills and delay in toilet training), profound speech impairment and lack of co-ordination with walking. These children have behavioural uniqueness with frequent laughter and smiling

See full list of 5 diagnostic tests for Laughter

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Laughter. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

  • How long has the excessive or inappropriate laughter been present? - to determine if acute or chronic.
  • Is there an obvious explanation for laughter? - Remember that it is possible to have laughter for rational non-medical reasons e.g. normal happy personality.
  • Past psychiatric history? - e.g. bipolar affective disorder is a recurrent disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression. The periods of mania include symptoms of elevated mood (euphoria) sometimes accompanied by excessive or inappropriate laughter; social anxiety may be associated with "nervous laughter" .
  • Risk factors for stroke? - e.g. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, family history, history of transient ischemic attacks - can assess risk of multi-infarct dementia - a feature of multi-infarct dementia may be inappropriate laughing.
  • Illicit drug history? - e.g. cocaine may provide a feeling of euphoria and excitement and cause excessive or inappropriate laughter; amphetamines, ecstasy and cannabis intoxication may provide a feeling of euphoria with a feeling of superiority and general feeling of wellness and cause excessive or inappropriate laughter.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Laughter (9 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Laughter) may include:

  • Symptoms of manic phase of bipolar affective disorder? - e.g. elevated mood (euphoria) sometimes accompanied by irritability, grandiose ideas, inflated self-esteem, increased energy and activity, rapid pressured speech, increased libido often leading to sexual disinhibition and inappropriate sexual activity, impaired judgement, impulsive behavior, reduced need for sleep, poor concentration and attention, sometimes psychotic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations.
  • Symptoms of multi-infarct dementia ? - e.g. step-wise deterioration in memory, some insight is present with memory loss and dementia, may be inappropriate laughing episodes which may make the person appear euphoric.
  • Symptoms of Angelman's syndrome? - e.g. severe intellectual disability, speech impediment, sleep disturbance, unstable jerky gait, seizures, short attention span and usually a happy demeanor with frequent laughter, easily excitable personality, often with hand flapping movements.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Laughter (9 listings)

Stories from Users for Laughter

Real-life user stories relating to Laughter:

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Laughter or relevant symptoms:

Videos for Laughter

Stress Reduction

Stress ReductionStress takes its toll by making us anxious, depressed and not able to function as fully as we'd like. What many don't know is that stress can...

 
See full list of 1 related videos

Patient Surveys for Laughter

Detailed list of causes of Laughter

The list below shows some of the causes of Laughter mentioned in various sources:

See full list of 9 causes of Laughter

How Common are these Causes of Laughter?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Laughter. Of the 9 causes of Laughter that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

  • 1 causes are "very common" diseases
  • 1 causes are "common" diseases
  • 1 causes are "uncommon" diseases
  • 0 causes are "rare" diseases
  • 0 causes are "very rare" diseases
  • 7 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 9 causes of Laughter

Conditions listing symptoms: Laughter:

The following list of conditions have 'Laughter' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

A

  • Angelman syndrome ... Laughter

    M

  • Multi-Infarct Dementia ... laughing inappropriately

    Join in at the forums

    Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.

    Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.

    See a list of all the medical forums

  • Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Laughter?

    Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Laughter, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
    Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

    Classifications of Laughter:

    Medical Conditions associated with Laughter:

    Emotional symptoms (789 causes), Euphoria (24 causes), Mania (47 causes)

    Symptoms related to Laughter:

    Mania (47 causes), Euphoria (24 causes), Happiness

    Laughter as a disease:

    You may also want to research other Diseases in our Disease Center.

    Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

    Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

    These general medical articles may be of interest:

    See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

    More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:


     » Next page: Causes of Laughter

    Medical Tools & Articles:


    Next articles:

    Tools & Services:

    Medical Articles:

    Forums & Message Boards

    Major Disease Research

    Research
    symptoms, treatments,
    and misdiagnosis
    of major diseases.

    Multiple Symptom
    Checker

    Check one
    or many
    symptoms
     
    By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use. Information provided on this site is for informational purposes only; it is not intended as a substitute for advice from your own medical team. The information on this site is not to be used for diagnosing or treating any health concerns you may have - please contact your physician or health care professional for all your medical needs. Please see our Terms of Use.