ABSTRACT
In looking at the relative numbers of people with psychiatric problems from different minority groups, we have suggested that the differences may be partly due to the way doctors perceive their patients. For instance the frequency of alcoholism and the comparative infrequency of schizophrenia found amongst men who come to Britain from Eire (Table 3, p. 90) is probably related to the fact that many Irish men who develop schizophrenia may also drink heavily. When symptoms of schizophrenia and alcoholism are both present, the English doctor selects the diagnosis of alcoholism alone because of the way he tends to perceive Irish people [20].
