Sir, – A report summarised by Carl O’Brien (Home News, October 11th) claims 55 per cent of Irish people aged between 19 and 24 have experienced a mental disorder. This suggests a disease epidemic on a scale rarely encountered even in the most virulent of communicable diseases.
What conclusions may we draw from a situation where the abnormal has become the norm? Is this intuitively credible or should we not question the validly of the methodology, case finding and classification? Furthermore this claim raises a number of associated issues including stigma, proposed interventions and their costs. – Yours, etc,
Dr DERMOT WALSH,
Consultant Psychiatrist,
READ MORE
Saint Agnan,
France.