Caffeine withdrawal: A made-up condition included in the DSM-5
Disorders called caffeine intoxication and caffeine withdrawal join the likes of heroin and alcohol dependence in the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)—the organization’s official list of mental disorders. According to the DSM-5, too much coffee, cola or caffeine-laced gum can cause restlessness, nervousness, a red face and rambling speech.  And stopping caffeine suddenly can cause sleepiness and depressed mood. Is that really news?  No, it isn’t.  What is news is that the DSM-5, by overreaching so dramatically to pathologize every American and make all of us ripe for psychiatric medications covered by insurance, has finally helped all of us see the disservice the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is doing to America. Medicare and Medicaid, beware.  Both insurers should refuse payment for any psychiatric service supposedly delivered for caffeine intoxication and caffeine withdrawal – and other insurers should, too. What else could we expect, though, from an organization that also just created a disorder called binge eating disorder, a scourge defined as overeating a dozen times in three months?  Now, if you also have too much coffee at the end of those meals, you can have two disorders!   Caffeine is a common dietary ingredient in sodas.  It is found in coffee and tea, and it is consumed without ill effects by, perhaps, one hundred million Americans each day.  Focusing on caffeine as a drug, like heroin, is just a land grab for more patients.  Will sugar excitement syndrome be next?  How about post-food fatigue syndrome…