Caffeine Addiction a Mental Disorder?
Well it will be a mental disorder if Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has his way.
He is hoping to get caffeine addiction listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS) which is published by the American Psychiatric Association. Basically this is the book mental health practitioners use to diagnose people with mental disorders or illnesses. If something isn’t in the the DMS then people can’t be diagnosed.
Dr. Griffiths just completed a comprehensive caffeine-withdrawal study and believes that caffeine should be considered an addictive substance and people who are addicted have a mental disorder similar to people who are addicted to other substances such as heroin or cocaine. He is hoping that the American Psychiatric Association will consider his study and vote to include caffeine addiction and withdrawal in the 2010 edition of the DMS.
OK, so what does this mean for the millions of people dependent on caffeine? Well here are the pros and cons.
Pros
- You can use caffeine withdrawal as a legitimate excuse to miss school or work.
- You can get insurance to pay for counseling to help you quit.
- You could get free government funded caffeine patches.
- You could steal energy drinks and use your “caffeine withdrawal mental disorder” as a defense in court.
- If you’re a “Beverage Cooler Slave” you could claim disability and never work another day in your life!
Cons
- You will be labeled with a mental disorder and called “Mental” legitimately.
- You could be forced into court ordered caffeine addiction rehab.
- Your boss could use it as an excuse to finally fire you for your frequent coffee/energy drink breaks and hyperactivity.
- You’ll be dumb and poor because you use it too much as an excuse to miss school and work.
Those addicted to caffeine do not really need to check into addiction treatment centers, but they should at least cut back on the espresso because too much caffeine intake does have its drawbacks. What is this world coming too? What do you think about Griffiths’ plan to have caffeine addiction and withdrawal added to the DMS as a mental disorder?
Source: National Geographic
12 Comments
RECENTLY ADDED CAFFEINE
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I think the doc has a mental disorder…i would say that its mental retardation but its probably alot more than thatO.o if his family is reading this, may i suggest a strait jacket for his christmas present>.< or mayby a lobotomy:)
This is either fine, or completely ridiculous. Are other drug addictions listed in the DSM?
Yeah Tim, I believe they are.
I just researched it; the only diagnosis listed in the current version of the DSM (IV) is “substance dependence.” Why should caffeine get its own category?
Probably somewhere in manual substance is defined which would list various drugs, I think he wants caffeine added to that list.
“believes that caffeine should be considered an addictive substance”
You mean it isn’t already? I think a lot of people know this by now.
This is Pretty amazing so this is on twitter Myspace and Facebook u should add it to Myspace
Check Your Myspace
Maybe I’ve taken the original text out of line here, but I think its pretty scary how one guy can see fit to compare heroin and cocain to that of caffine, “similar to people who are addicted to other substances such as heroin or cocaine”. It is said that more than 50% of Americans drink coffee and over 66% drink soda. Thats a lot of caffine. Is this guy trying to say that over half the American population are mental just because they like a little “pick-me up”? I think he just wants to be famous for something.
I do not think he can do it. Reason for it is because it would be hard to statistically determine if a person can even get withdrawal symptoms for caffeine. There is a huge difference between caffeine abuse and caffeine dependence. I think it would differ person to person. That is just my opinion
Caffeine intoxication is already listed in the current DSM-IV. It wouldn’t be a far stretch for the APA to list caffeine addiction, since it can be considered a drug (it alters the way your body functions; then again, using the definition they use-deodorant could be considered a drug also)
Caffeine is a very addictive substance! more addictive than alcohol and marijuana.. at least it is to me. I cant go a day without caffeine.. i am chris and i am a caffeine addict!
and Chris we accept you and love you anyway!