Caffeine and Depression
While many of us feel sad or blue at one time or another, people are diagnosed with depression if they have at least five of the following symptoms at the same time:
- A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired concentration
- Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
- Diminished interest in daily activities
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Restlessness
- Weight loss or weight gain
Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with depression. Depression should not be confused with manic depression (bipolar disorder), which involves periods of depression and periods of mania (elation or highs). Depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand, one leading to the other, and both are severe illnesses that should be treated by health professionals. One small piece of good news about depression is that a new study shows that women who regularly drink caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers.
Decaffeinated coffee, tea, and soda did not have the same effect as caffeinated coffee.
The researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health aren’t sure why caffeine might decrease the chances of suffering from depression. One of the authors, Dr. Albert Ascherio explains, “We know that caffeine enters the brain and activates the release of different neurotransmitters that are related to mood, like dopamine and serotonin. That may explain the shorter-term effects on mood. But the long-term mechanisms of caffeine intake on mood we don’t really know.”
The researchers are quick to say that they don’t know the long-term effects or the effects of too much coffee. Therefore, they feel that more work needs to be done. Regardless, if you had any anxiety about your morning cup, don’t! Drink up. Perhaps we should change the saying to “A coffee a day keeps the anxiety and depression away!”
