Affective Lability Scale – Short Form
The Affective Lability Scale – Short Form (ALS-18) is a validated 18-item instrument designed to capture and quantify trait-like emotional instability.
- Questions
- 18
- Duration
- 5 min
- Original title
- Affective Lability Scale – Short Form (ALS-18)
- Adaptation
- Affective Lability Scale – Short Form
- Authors
- Oliver, M.N.I. & Simons, J.S. (version brève) ; Harvey, P.D., Greenberg, B.R. & Serper, M.R. (version originale 54 items)
- Created
- 2004 (ALS-18) ; 1989 (ALS-54)
The Affective Lability Scale – Short Form (ALS-18) is a validated 18-item instrument designed to capture and quantify trait-like emotional instability. Unlike traditional mood questionnaires that focus on the sustained duration of affective episodes, the ALS-18 specifically evaluates the frequency, intensity, and rapidity of mood shifts. It provides clinicians with a precise metric to assess emotional dysregulation independent of current episodic pathology.
This measure is particularly valuable when assessing adults presenting with highly reactive affect, cluster B personality structures, neurodevelopmental variations such as ADHD, or atypical mood disorders. By isolating affective lability as a distinct construct, the ALS-18 helps differentiate chronic mood reactivity from more episodic mood disturbances. It stands as a reliable, repeatable clinical tool that standardizes the assessment of mood swings and supports targeted treatment planning.
Example result
Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.
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What the test measures
The ALS-18 measures the degree to which an individual experiences rapid, unpredictable shifts in emotional states. It specifically evaluates three core dimensions of affective instability:
- Anxiety/Depression shifts: Capturing sudden transitions between calmness and intense anxiety, or between nervous tension and depressive drops. Mapping this dimension helps contextualize the physiological and cognitive aspects of emotions in depression.
- Depression/Elation shifts: Tracking oscillations between high energy, productivity, or grandiosity, and sudden lethargy or feeling ordinary. These shifts are often intertwined with cognitive patterns like all-or-nothing thinking.
- Anger shifts: Measuring how quickly a person moves from a neutral mood to sudden rage or verbal outbursts, which provides an excellent baseline before initiating guided anger self-reflection.
This instrument is designed for adults presenting with mood dysregulation, cluster B personality traits, or general emotional instability.
When and why to use it
When assessing mood, differentiating between sustained mood episodes and rapid affective lability is crucial. Clinicians use the ALS-18 to capture the latter, often exploring potential bipolar disorder warning signs while tracking daily mood fluctuations.
- Intake baseline: To establish a standardized metric of emotional reactivity before introducing interventions like DBT emotion regulation skills.
- Differential support: To clarify if mood swings reflect a borderline personality structure versus classic cyclothymia, guiding targeted discussions on healthy vs. unhealthy coping strategies.
- Monitoring change: To evaluate whether emotions motivate actions less frequently after a period of therapy, particularly tracking improvements in the anger and anxiety subscales.
A validated metric like the ALS-18 adds robust precision over general clinical impression by quantifying the subjective frequency of affective shifts rather than relying on unstructured recall.
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- Below is a series of statements describing rapid shifts in mood and emotions. For each statement, indicate how well it usually describes you by choosing the answer that best matches your experience. There are no right or wrong answers; please respond as spontaneously and honestly as possible.1. I sometimes feel as relaxed as anyone else, then, within minutes, become so nervous that my head spins and I feel dizzy.This item evaluates the sudden onset of physical anxiety symptoms from a baseline of relaxation.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 2. I can feel fine one moment, and then the next minute, feel tense, restless, and nervous.This question assesses the rapid transition from state anxiety to feeling depressed about the same stressor.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 3. Very often, I feel very nervous and tense, and then suddenly feel very sad and down.This item captures the quick deterioration of a positive mood into nervous agitation.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 4. I sometimes go from feeling extremely anxious about something to feeling deeply despondent about that same thing.This question measures how frequently states of high tension plummet into deep sadness.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 5. I go from being perfectly calm to being tense and nervous, and then back again.This item probes the overall instability between feeling perfectly calm and feeling uptight.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 6. There are times when I have very little energy, and then shortly after, I have the same energy level as most people.This question evaluates extreme drops in energy following moments of feeling highly energetic.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 7. I can sometimes think clearly and concentrate well one moment, and then the next minute, have a very hard time concentrating and thinking clearly.This item assesses brief spikes in energy and grandiosity that quickly return to baseline.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 8. I go from being bursting with energy to having so little that just getting where I need to go takes a huge effort, and back again.This question probes fluctuations in behavioral pace, alternating between feeling slowed down and functioning normally.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 9. There are times when I feel absolutely wonderful about myself, but shortly after, I often feel just about like everyone else.This item captures fleeting moments of high self-esteem that rapidly fade into feeling ordinary.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 10. I go from being very unproductive to being as productive as everyone else, and back again.This question measures sudden cognitive shifts between clear focus and severe concentration difficulties.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 11. I sometimes feel extremely full of energy one moment, and then the next minute, have so little energy I can barely do anything.This item evaluates rapid functional swings between high productivity and an inability to get things done.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 12. There are times when I have more energy than usual and more than most people, and then, shortly after, I have about the same energy level as everyone else.This question assesses severe oscillations between extreme physical energy and profound lethargy.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 13. I sometimes feel like I'm doing everything in slow motion, and then, shortly after, feel that I'm no slower than anyone else.This item probes brief energy deficits that quickly resolve to a normal energy level.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 14. I frequently go from having very good control of my anger to being almost completely unable to control it.This question evaluates the sudden loss of anger management in individuals who normally regulate well.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 15. There are times when I feel perfectly calm, and then the next minute, the smallest thing makes me furious.This item captures explosive irritability triggered by minor frustrations when previously calm.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 16. Frequently, I feel fine, and then suddenly I get so angry I could hit something.This question measures the sudden emergence of aggressive urges from an otherwise neutral mood.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 17. There are times when I'm so angry I can barely stop myself from yelling, and other times, shortly after, when it wouldn't even occur to me to yell.This item probes the rapid onset and equally rapid disappearance of severe verbal anger.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- 18. There are times when I get so angry my heart starts pounding and/or I start to shake, and then, shortly after, I feel completely relaxed.This question assesses extreme physical manifestations of rage that subside very quickly into relaxation.
- Very uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat uncharacteristic of me
- Somewhat characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
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