Caffeine addiction.

DEFINITION: Caffeine addiction, a dependence on caffeine, is marked by the development of withdrawal symptoms if caffeine is not ingested. Experts are not sure if this dependence should be categorized as an actual addiction because clinical studies demonstrate mixed results concerning symptom occurrence and frequency. Also, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association does not classify caffeine as addictive because data are insufficient to prove that the symptoms of caffeine addiction cause any clinically significant mental or physical impairment. However, the fifth edition of the DSM listed caffeine use disorder, a condition marked by the inability to reduce caffeine intake despite negative side effects, as something to be further evaluated.