Consanguinity and psychiatric disorders: Qatar case study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the pattern of marriage and tradition among Qatari psychiatric patients attending an outpatient psychiatry clinic in Doha, Qatar. The study also investigates the difference between consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages among patients in relation to five major psychiatric disorders. Methods: 412 Qatari patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, major depression, mixed anxiety and depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, and attended the outpatient psychiatry clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), in Doha, Qatar in the period between August 2011 and March 2012, were examined. Data was collected from participants’ medical records and from a face to face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: 46.9% were consanguineous and 43.6 were non-consanguineous. The overall rates of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages among participants were 47.1% and 52.9% respectively. No significant differences were observed between consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages in relation to the five major psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: The overall trend of study result revels no significant differences between consanguineous and non-consanguineous participants’ percentages in relation to the five major psychiatric disorders. First cousin marriages were found to be the most frequent in comparison to other types of relationships. One of the limitations of this study was that no DNA analysis was carried out.