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Caffeine Linked to Hallucination

Drinking 3+ cups of strong joe triples chances of hearing or seeing things: study

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 14, 2009 1:59 PM CST
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(Newser) – People with high caffeine intake are three times more likely to experience hallucinations, including voices, visions, and ghosts, LiveScience reports. A study found that subjects who consumed three cups of brewed coffee, or seven of instant, were more prone to freaking out than their temperate brethren. Researchers think caffeine’s enhancing effect on the body’s stress response could be to blame.

But the jury’s still out on a direct connection between a jolt of joe and psychosis. People prone to hallucination might just be using caffeine as a coping mechanism. “More work is needed to establish whether caffeine consumption, and nutrition in general, has an impact on those kinds of hallucination that cause distress,” a psychologist said. In any case, delusions related to caffeine are generally mild.

A cup of coffee.
A cup of coffee.   (AP Photo)
A woman feeds her pet duck from a coffee cup.
A woman feeds her pet duck from a coffee cup.   (AP Photo)
A woman holds her cup of coffee.
A woman holds her cup of coffee.   (AP Photo)
Starbucks Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz drinks a cup of coffee.
Starbucks Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz drinks a cup of coffee.   (AP Photo)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
riffran
Jan 21, 2009 4:23 AM CST
caffenecaffene...didsomeonesay caffeneIhearditiknowididcoffecoffecoffecoffe........Gee anI only drank 10 cups...nawww that stuff don't work!!!
atris999
Jan 15, 2009 2:42 AM CST
I would like to see a comparison of caffeine consumption over the past 100 years to mental illness to determine correlation.
Guest
Jan 14, 2009 2:45 AM CST
I hear expresso machines....but...it might just be in my head....

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