SCHIZOPH RENIA IN EAST COUNTY CAVAN SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN….pdfVIP

SCHIZOPHRENIA IN EAST COUNTY CAVAN: SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN PREVALENCE AND THEIR AETIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS Paper re-submitted to Irish Geography by Dennis G. Pringle, Department of Geography, St. Patricks College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland. John L. Waddington, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. and Hanafy A. Youssef, St. Davnets Hospital, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. August, 1995 SCHIZOPHRENIA IN EAST COUNTY CAVAN: SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN PREVALENCE AND THEIR AETIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS ABSTRACT Schizophrenia prevalence rates in Ireland have been amongst the highest in the world for over a century. These rates do not necessarily indicate a high risk of mental illness in the community, but they could reflect elevated risks associated with either genetic factors or unidentified factors associated with the Irish social or physical environment. This study examines spatial variations in prevalence in east County Cavan. By confining the study to a small area, the effects of nosocomial factors and diagnostic variability can be assumed to be minimal. Also, given that the study area receives few immigrants, drift processes,