Millions of American adults drink coffee every day, whether to reap the benefits of a stimulant wake-up call, or just because they enjoy the taste. But a study published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry reveals consuming a moderate amount of coffee on a regular basis may also serve as an antidepressant strong enough to relieve symptoms of suicide.

For the study, researchers analyzed how much caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee a large pool of more than 200,000 men and women drank. Over the course of four years following the participants, 277 died from suicide. Regular coffee drinkers, who consumed between two to four cups a day, were 50 percent less likely to attempt suicide.

While researchers know that coffee can trigger the feel-good receptors in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, to help alleviate suicidal symptoms, a java habit is by no means a substitute for medical attention. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, roughly 117 people die from suicide every day in the United States, and in many cases, therapy or medication interventions are necessary.