Caffeine-Related Psychiatric Disorders

 
Caffeine-Related Psychiatric Disorders  
Caffeine-Related Psychiatric Disorders  
Caffeine is the world's favorite psychoactive substance. Only petroleum exceeds coffee as a globally traded
 commodity, and commerce and history of the United States are closely linked to tea consumption. Soft drinks now rank as the most popular beverage in the United States, and most contain caffeine. Beverage trade groups estimate the annual per capita soft drink consumption at 56 gallons. Research and worldwide beverage history confirm the safety of moderate caffeine consumption in healthy individuals.
The universal appeal of caffeine is related to its psychostimulant properties. In a healthy person, caffeine promotes cognitive arousal and fights fatigue. These same activating properties can produce symptomatic distress in a small subset of the population. Susceptibility to this symptomatic distress is broadly determined by 3 factors: the dose consumed, individual vulnerability to caffeine, and preexisting medical or psychiatric conditions (mood disorders in particular) that are aggravated by mild psychostimulant use.
Although many beverages contain caffeine, coffee is a staple form of caffeine consumption. Researchers studying coffee’s complex chemistry have identified both health promoting and inhibiting factors. Aside from enhancing cognitive ability, coffee consumption appears to inversely correlate with diabetes, certain types of cancer lines, and possibly Alzheimer disease. Conversely, coffee can increase cholesterol levels.

Case study

Brenda arrived at the doctor’s office a full hour early. The receptionist greeted Brenda and then handed her the typical questionnaires for new patients. Brenda nervously filled out the forms and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Finally, the receptionist invited Brenda to meet with the doctor. The doctor began the interview with an open-ended question that granted Brenda the opportunity to rapidly discuss a several month period of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and restlessness. Through the course of the interview, the doctor learned that Brenda had started college 6 months ago and was struggling to keep up. As her grades slipped, Brenda redoubled her efforts by studying more. Unfortunately, fatigue set in and made her less attentive.
The doctor asked a few screening questions about nutrition and substance abuse that revealed an interesting trend. Brenda recognized the ill effects of fatigue and sought a remedy. While some students might turn to more potent and illicit drugs, Brenda chose caffeine instead. She carefully read labels and soon discovered an energy drink with the highest level of caffeine. The energy drink did the trick, at least for a brief period. Brenda soon found that 6 energy drinks in the evening kept her awake and relatively alert. The caffeine excess came at a cost though, measured in terms of persisting insomnia, nervousness, and mood fluctuations. Those symptoms actually worsened her test performance leading a friend to suggest she visit a doctor.