On Fri, 8 Dec 2000, Bill McCown, Ph.D. wrote:
> ah, Dr. Torrey, I remember his migratory bird theory suggesting why rates of
> schizophrenia were 25% in Ireland. Guess what? They aren't any higher there
> than in Latvia. 1-2% Oops.
I dunno. When I was an undergraduate, one of the Scientific
American offprints we were required to study discussed why
schizophrenia was so high in Ireland. Fuller Torrey has had a
productive research career. I recall that he was one of the few
who spoke out against silly and harmful psychodynamic theories of
psychiatric disorders. I particularly liked his book
"Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists" (1973), in which he drew
attention to the real parallels in the two cases. He illustrated
his idea that non-specific effects were dominant in psychotherapy
[I exempt behavior therapy] with the memorable analogy of a
"horse and canary pie" (guess what the dish tastes like).
To see what the current state of Ireland/schizophrenia study is,
I checked PubMed. Here's what I found:
J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 1998 Dec;5(6):555-62
Corrected and republished article originally printed in J
Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 1998 Aug;5(4):309-16
Mental illness and Irish people: stereotypes, determinants and
changing perspectives.
Clarke L
The causes of psychological illness in Irish people have been
identified with colonial rule and the catastrophic conditions
deriving from famine in the nineteenth century. In particular,
the scourge of unremitting emigration, resulting from famine, has
formed a background against which speculative theories of
inferiority, alienation and mental illness have been constructed.
In particular, the long standing idea that Irish people exhibit
higher rates of schizophrenia, both in Ireland and abroad, is
discussed. Contemporary studies which suggest that these elevated
rates do not correspond to international diagnostic criteria for
schizophrenia are introduced. Rather, these enhanced rates may
reflect a malaise which resembles schizophrenia but which is
really a product of historical dispossession. The importance of
these factors is underscored by the previous neglect of Irish
people, considered as an ethnic minority, as well as the
particular distaste which many Irish people display towards such
a notion.
Psychol Med 1987 Nov;17(4):943-8
Incidence of schizophrenia in Ireland.
Ninuallain M, O'Hare A, Walsh D
This paper reports an investigation of the incidence of
schizophrenia in Ireland by means of standardized case-finding
procedures. Our findings do not support the popular belief, based
on first admissions figures, of a raised incidence in Ireland. We
show this to have been considerably overestimated.
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OK, so it looks as though it may be a myth. But it seems to have
at one time been considered a solid finding.
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
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