Alcoholism diagnosis and Celtic names

Abstract

AbstractObjective: To investigate assertions that Celts have higher rates of alcoholism and mental illness than non-Celts.Method: The records of 3,000 admissions to Northwick Park Hospital Psychiatric Unit, Harrow (a North West London suburban middle class borough research hospital with a strictly defined catchment area – the London Borough of Harrow: population 200,000), from June 1987 for three years under the clinical care of four consultant psychiatrists, were examined.Results: There were 683 with non-Celtic names and 175 with Celtic names (16.7%) (data on 10 patients incomplete). 306 (35%) of non-Celts and 88 (50%) of Celts were aged under 40 years. Alcohol dependence (ICD 303) was significantly commoner (p<0.001) among the Celts (35.3%) than among the non-Celts (12.9%). There were highly significant excesses (p<0.001) of native-born Celts with ICD 303 (54%) compared with non-Celts 12.9% or with Celts born outside Celtdom (23%). Patients with Norman names tended to follow the Celts in these respects. There were no differences with respect to the prevalence of psychosis or other ICD categories among Celts and non-Celts.Conclusion: Doctors should be aware of the high prevalence of alcoholic dependence among people with Celtic names, whether these were born in Celtic countries or not, entertain a high index of diagnostic suspicion and take preventative measures accordingly. However, we found no excess of other categories of psychiatric disorder among Celts as compared with non-Celts. Patients with Norman-derived names seemed to follow the Celts in these respects.