Caffeine can affect your brain and in turn, affect your thoughts and feelings. If you drink coffee, particularly in excess, you may experience feelings of paranoia. This is true with psychologically healthy people. Also, caffeine may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms including paranoia in clinical populations.
Sleep
A 22-year-old man with trauma from his childhood experienced paranoia and other psychological problems such as hallucinations after five nights without sleep, in a study published in 2007 in "European Psychiatry." (See reference 1) Caffeine is often used to promote energy and alertness but can also get in the way of sleep, which is needed for healthy psychological function. Therefore, the researchers recommend that caffeine consumption and overuse could be a factor when considering psychological health. Also, they mention that caffeine can cause symptoms in people without psychological conditions, as well.
Schizophrenia
If you or a loved one suffers from schizophrenia, you may want to consider limiting or eliminating caffeine intake. In a study published in March 2010 in the "American Journal of Psychiatry", caffeine induced psychosis in a patient with schizophrenia after he began drinking eight to 10 cans daily of an energy soft drink containing caffeine eight weeks prior to hospitalization. Each can contained 160 mg of caffeine. His paranoia had decreased when he was released from the hospital 10 days later.
Amount
When it comes to caffeine and paranoia, excess consumption seems to be the culprit. For example, one man without a history of psychological illness experienced paranoia after drinking an excessive amount of caffeine daily in a case study published in 2009 in "CNS Spectrometry." This man reported drinking more than one gallon of coffee per day.
Dopamine
One mechanism that likely contributes to caffeine-induced paranoia is the effect that caffeine has on dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or a brain chemical that sends signals across the brain. Caffeine interferes with the transmission of dopamine, according to the article published in 2009 in "CNS Spectrometry," thereby leaving you susceptible to feelings of paranoia.
References
- "European Psychiatry"; P01-77 -- Caffeine Related Disorders: Learning from our Patients; A. Makela; 2011
- "American Journal of Psychiatry"; Psychosis Following Excessive Ingestion of Energy Drinks in a Patient With Schizophrenia; Joseph M. Cerimele, M.D., Joseph M. Cerimele, M.D., et al.; March 2010
- "CNS Spectrometry"; Caffeine-Induced Psychosis; Dawson W. Hedges, M.D. et al.; 2009
Member Comments