Speak Out: Caffeine Withdrawal A Mental Illness?

We've probably all known people who can't be talked to in the mornings, not until they get that first cup of java. Some of us may be those people.

If you've ever tried to wean yourself off of caffeine, you'll know that it often results in pounding headaches and other maladies at least for the first few days.

But is caffeine withdrawal a mental disorder?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, it can be.

The American Psychiatric Association recently added caffeine withdrawal to the latest version of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM-5, the Wall Street Journal reports. 

To be officially diagnosed, you have to present at least three of these five symptoms within a day of or reducing your caffeine intake or going cold turkey: headache, fatigue or drowsiness, depressed mood or irritability, difficulty concentrating or flulike symptoms.

And you can't tell your boss you're taking a mental health day the first time the break room is out of coffee. In order to be officially diagnosed, those symptoms must hurt your ability to function, causing “clinically significant distress or impairment.”

The APA had previously listed caffeine intoxication as a mental disorder and is giving further consideration to caffeine use disorder, which can occur when someone tries to kick caffeine but is unable to stick with it because of the resulting side effects.

"Caffeine intoxication and withdrawal both occur fairly frequently but only rarely cause enough clinically significant impairment to be considered a mental disorder," Allen Frances told the Wall Street Journal. Frances chaired the task force that developed the previous version of the DSM. "We shouldn't medicalize every aspect of life and turn everyone into a patient.”

Intoxication can occur at levels in excess of 250 milligrams of caffeine, according to the DSM. But experts say most cases of intoxication result from much higher doses.

Speak Out: What do you think of caffeine withdrawal being called a mental disorder? Are you a coffee junkie or a soda addict? Do you think you could give up the habit, or have you tried in the past?

Tell us in the comments!