In his editorial, Daly (Reference Daly1999) is critical of the research that has been done on the psychological impact of the civil unrest in Northern Ireland, both in terms of its quality and quantity. He states that opportunities for valuable research have probably been missed, and those studies that have been carried out, he weighs in the balance and finds wanting. I consider his article a potentially misleading reflection on psychiatry in Northern Ireland over the past 30 years.

Much of the research he reviews emerges as speculative and inconclusive. He is critical of Lyons' (Reference Lyons1971) concept of “normal anxiety”. The work of Cairns & Wilson (Reference Cairns and Wilson1984) is, Daly believes, of limited usefulness as the populations studied were rural, whereas violence is largely an urban phenomenon. Curran (Reference Curran1988) is exposed as mistaken in his view that individuals habituate to trauma. These authors published their findings 29, 16 and 12 years ago, respectively. It is all too easy to find fault today.

Daly concludes that lack of trust in the authorities and a fear of breaches of confidentiality have resulted in treatment avoidance and exacerbation of symptoms. He gives no evidence for these conclusions. Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland have striven to avoid opportunism and prejudice, and to maintain impartiality. It would be a matter of concern if this was not the public perception.

Daly widens the concept of victim to include “terrorists incarcerated for paramilitary crimes”. If offenders are to be viewed thus, there is a risk of widening the concept of victim to the point where it becomes meaningless. The research to which he refers in his next sentence (Reference Lyons and HarbinsonLyons & Harbinson, 1986) related to one crime only, that of murder. Political murderers were found to be a more stable group than non-political murderers. That paper had no comment to make on the victim status of prisoners or on political crimes in general, contrary to the impression conveyed by Daly. His subsequent reference to a report in a local newspaper (Belfast Telegraph, 26 September 1998), in the context of psychological problems consequent on imprisonment, is speculative.

Finally, Daly has overlooked a crucial consideration in his editorial. It is no exaggeration to say that the political situation in Northern Ireland has made it difficult, if not at times hazardous, to carry out research on offenders and victims. On occasions where research has been done, it has not been feasible to publish it. Psychiatrists practising in Northern Ireland over the past 30 years have laboured under difficulties not experienced by colleagues elsewhere in the UK. Daly should not victimise them.