Can Bubble Tea Addiction Be Linked to Depression? | Study Findings and Mental Health Concerns

2023-10-08 08:05:34

Drinking too much bubble tea could be a sign of depression

A Chinese study has made the link between an addiction to bubble tea and mental health concerns.

PublishedOctober 8, 2023, 10:05 a.m.

According to a study, being addicted to bubble tea could be a sign of depression.

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Drinking too much bubble tea could be a sign of depression or anxiety in young people, says a study Chinese language published in the “Journal of Affective Disorders”.

We reassure you right away, the study is only in its infancy and more are needed on different groups to ensure that the correlation is proven. However, the first results would show that excessive consumption of this milk tea would lead to addiction. And this dependence would establish a link with mental health concerns (depression and anxiety).

Comforting drink

Originally from Taiwan, this drink made from tea, milk, sugar and tapioca pearl appeared in the 1980s. It has enjoyed enormous success around the world in recent years, explains our colleagues from “HuffPost».

To carry out this study, researchers methodically questioned 5,000 young Chinese, aged 15 to 24, about their consumption habits. To find out if they were addicted to drinking, they used the DSM-5, a manual with tools for diagnosing mental disorders. On the basis of criteria and statistics, this manual makes it possible to take into account factors of mass consumption and the persistent desire for something, explains “ScienceAlert».

Result: of the 5,000 young people questioned, more than half responded that they drank bubble tea at least once a week. In the study, they linked the fact that it was a comforting drink and that this characteristic could lead to addiction in people with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts.

“The results indicate that consumption of bubble tea may lead to symptoms of addiction, including frequency, dependence/craving, intention to quit, inability to quit, tolerance and feelings of guilt,” the researchers argued.

They will repeat the experiment with more people and over a longer period to ensure the correlation of addiction to this drink and depression.