Is Caffeine Good or Bad for Mental Health?

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There have been numerous articles extolling both the benefits and harmfulness of caffeine. Less often has there been research on the effects on mental health.

What’s my opinion? I advise caution in its usage.

There has been insufficient studies showing any benefit of caffeine on mental health. A few studies have suggested caffeine has a positive effective on depression and ADHD. This may due to caffeine increasing alertness, attention and cognitive functioning and by possibly elevating mood.

There is also preliminary evidence of caffeine benefiting some people struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which I thought was interesting because OCD is a subset of an anxiety disorder and my experience has seen caffeine making anxiety worse. Neveretheless, the research is compelling.

But do the benefits outweigh the negative side effects? We know that caffeine can increase heart palpitations and contribute to stomach problems such as heartburn.

These are annoying troublesome physical side effects. But what do we know about its mental health downside?

We do know that caffeine is addicting and may encourage other types of addictions like cigarette smoking. We also know that caffeine in large amounts can bring out psychosis and manic behavior as well as exascerbate general anxious states, panic disorder or social anxiety disorder.

My advice is to keep caffeine to a minimum. If you struggle with Depression, OCD or ADHD, see your primary care mental health provider to investigate safer, healthier treatment for your mental health conditions. There are other things less harmful and that can do the job more effectively than caffeine.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.