Caffeine-Induced Anxiety Disorder

Caffeine is a drug with stimulant properties well known for its ability to increase arousal and at times cause or exacerbate anxiety. At low to moderate acute doses (10–200 mg), caffeine generally produces a profile of positive subjective effects including increased arousal, attention, energy, and well-being. Higher acute doses of caffeine (>200 mg) are more likely to result in jitteriness, anxiety, and other negative subjective effects among anxiety-prone individuals as well as in individuals who are not prone to anxiety. However, there are large individual differences in anxiety sensitivity to caffeine, with some individuals reporting anxiety in response to relatively low doses of caffeine (e.g., the amount in a small cup of coffee).

The primary biological mechanism underlying the psychoactive effects of caffeine at normal dietary ...