Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Caffeine and mental disorders

From the Wall Street Journal :

The latest version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . . . includes both caffeine intoxication and withdrawal. These conditions are considered mental disorders when they impair a person’s ability to function in daily life.
Some years ago I tried going cold turkey with caffeine, after drinking five or six cups of coffee a day. By mid-morning, I had a killer headache. My “ability to function in daily life” was gone by mid-afternoon, when I found myself stuck, literally, unable to get out of bed and unable to lie back down. It took a few days for things to get better. More recently, I quit caffeine without even trying. But I’ve been off the wagon for some time — I missed the taste of real tea. It’s tea through the day, and occasionally a cup of coffee.

A related post
This is your brain on tea

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