Abstract
A total of 98 consecutively admitted psychiatric inpatients were asked for their daily consumption of coffee, tea and other products containing caffeine. Calculation of the corresponding daily caffeine intake was performed using data from the literature and from caffeine measurements carried out in different coffee and tea preparations in the hospital. Of the patients 13% presented a high (≥750 mg daily) caffeine consumption before hospitalization. The average caffeine consumption per day decreased from 405 mg before to 332 mg during hospitalization (P<0.04), but the before and during hospitalization caffeine consumptions were highly correlated (rho=0.651;P<0.00001). The decrease in caffeine consumption seems to be influenced by a lower availability of caffeine at hospital. Among the diagnostic groups (DSM-III-R criteria), the caffeine intake was highest in schizophrenia and lowest in anxiety and major depression patients. Patients under a neuroleptic treatment before admission presented a higher caffeine intake. At hospital the high caffeine users showed the highest score on the factor depression (Hopkins Symptom Checklist; HSCL-58). However, the influence of other factors, such as weight and cigarette consumption, which correlated also with the caffeine intake (rho=0.359;P<0.001; and rho=0.83;P<0.00001, respectively), have also to be considered. Our data suggest that inquiry into caffeine consumption should be included routinely for psychiatric patients, e.g. at admission, because patients with a psychotic disorder undergo a higher risk for an excessive caffeine consumption.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostical and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-III-R), 3rd edn, revised. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC
Barone JJ, Roberts H (1984) Human-consumption of caffeine. In: Dews PB (ed) Caffeine. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 59–73
Boulenger JP, Uhde TW, Wolff III EA, Post RM (1984) Increased sensitivity to caffeine in patients with panic disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 41:1067–1071
Boulenger JP (1985) La caféine, le stress et l'anxiété. Concours Médical 107:1051–1054
Boulenger JP, Uhde TW (1986) Les effets, anxiogènes de la caféine. Acta Méd Int Psychiatr (Suppl) 3:35–37
Bruce MS, Lader MH (1986) Caffeine: clinical and experimental effects in humans. Hum Psychopharmacol 1:63–82
Bruce M, Scott N, Lader M, Marks V (1986) The psychopharmacological and electrophysiological effects of single doses of caffeine in healthy human subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol 22: 81–87
Burg AW (1975) How much coffee in the cup. Tea Coffee Trade J 147:40–42
Derogatis LR, Lipman RS, Rickels K, Uhlenhuth EH, Covi L (1974) The Hopkins, Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom in ventory. Behav Sci 19:1–15
Dews PB (ed) (1984) Caffeine Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York
Food and Drug Administration (1980) Caffeine content of various products. Washington, FDA (FDA Talk Paper, T80-45)
Furlong FW (1975) Possible psychiatric significance of excessive coffee consumption. Can Psychiatr, Assoc J 20:577–583
Gilbert RM (1976) Caffeine as a drug of abuse. In: Gibbons RJ, Israel, Y, Kalant H, Popham RE, Schmidt W, Smart RG (eds) Research advances in alcohol and drug problems. Wiley, New York, pp 49–176
Gilbert RM (1981) Caffeine: overview and anthology. In: Miller SA (ed) Nutrition and behaviour Franklin Institute Press, Philadelphia, pp 145–166
Gilliland, K, Andress D (1981) Adlib caffeine consumption, symptoms of caffeinism, and academic performance. Am J Psychiatry 138:512–514
Goldstein A, Kaiser S, Warren R (1965) Psychotropic effects of caffeine in man. II. Alertness psychomotor coordination and mood. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 150:146–151
Goldstein A, Kaiser S (1969) Psychotropic, effects of caffeine in man. III. A questionnaire survey of coffee drinking and its effects in a group of housewives. Clin Pharmacol Ther 10:477–488
Graham DM (1978) Caffeine—its identity, dietary sources, intake and biological effects. Nutr Rev 36:97–102
Greden JF, Fontaine P, Lubetsky M, Chamberlin K (1978) Anxiety and depression associated with caffeinism among psychiatric inpatients. Am J Psychiatry 135:963–966
Greden JF, Procter A, Victor B (1981) Caffeinism associated with greater use of other psychotrophic agents. Compr Psychiatry 22: 565–571
Greden JF, Walters A (1993) Caffeine. In: Lowinson JH, Ruiz P, Millman RB, Langrod JG (eds) Substance abuse. A comprehensive text book, 2nd edn. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 357–370
Griffiths RR, Bigelow GE, Liebson IA (1986) Human coffee drinking: reinforcing and physical dependence producing effects of caffeine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2:416–425
Griffiths RR, Evans SM, Heishman SJ, Preston KL, Sannerud CA, Wolf B, Woodson PP (1990) Low-dose caffeine discrimination in humans. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 252:970–978
Hughes JR, Oliveto AH, Helzer JE, Higgins ST, Bickel WK (1986) Should caffeine abuse, dependence, or withdrawal be added to DSM-IV and ICD-10? Am J Psychiatry: 149:33–40
James JE, C rosbie J, Paull I (1987) Symptomatology of habitual caffeine use amongst psychiatric patients. Aust J Psychol 39: 139–149
Nil R (1991) A psychopharmacological and psychophysiological evaluation of smoking motives. In: Samuelov S (ed) Reviews on environmental health Freund Publ House, London, pp 85–115
Oliveto AH, Bickel WK, Hughes JR, Higgins ST, Shea P (1990) Caffeine as a discriminative stimulus in humans (abstract). Pharmacol Biochem Behav 36:428
Paul SM, Skolnick P (1981) Benzodiazepine receptors and psychopathological states: towards a neurobiology of anxiety. In: Klein DF, Rabkin JG (eds), Anxiety: new research and changing concepts. Raven Press, New York, pp 215–233
Prosser RA, Pickens R (1979) Catecholamines, drug abuse and schizophrenia. In: Pickens RW, Heston LL (eds) Psychiatric factors in drug abuse. Grune and Stratton, New York, pp 285–300
Rihs M, Baumann P (1989) Koffeinverbrauch von hospitalisierten Psychiatrie-Patienten. In: Saletu B (ed) Biologische Psychiatrie, 2. Drei-Länder-Symposium für Biologische Psychiatrie, Innsbruck, Sept 1988. Thieme, New York, pp 530–532
Scott NR, Chakraborty J, Marks V (1989) Caffeine consumption in the United Kingdom: a retrospective survey. Food Sci Nutrition 42:183–191
Siegel S, Castellan NJ Jr (1988) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioural sciences. McGraw-Hill International Editions, 2nd edn, New York
Shisslak CM, Beutler LE, Scheiber S, Gaines JA, La Wall J, Crago M (1985) Patterns of caffeine use and preseribed medications in psychiatric inpatients. Psychol Rep 57:3942
Stephenson PE (1977) Physiologic and psychotropic effects of caffeine on man. A review. J Am Diet Assoc 71:240–247
Stern KN, Chait LD, Johanson CE (1989) Reinforcing and subjective effects of caffeine in normal human volunteers. Psychopharmacology, (Berlin) 98:81–88
Victor BS, Lubetsky M, Greden JF (1981) Somatic manifestations of caffeinism. J Clin Psychiatry 42:185–188
Winstead DK (1976) Coffee consumption among psychiatric inpatients. Am J Psychiatry 133:1447–1450
World Health Organization (1992) ICD-10 international classification of mental and behavioural disorders: clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. WHO, Montreux
Zeiner AR, Stanitis T, Spurgeon M, Nicholos N (1985) Treatment of alcoholism and concomitant drugs of abuse. Alcohol 2:555–559
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rihs, M., Müller, C. & Baumann, P. Caffeine consumption in hospitalized psychiatric patients. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Nuerosci 246, 83–92 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02274898
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02274898