Anxiety Clinic and Research Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Int Rev Psychiatry. 2010;22(4):340-6. doi: 10.3109/09540261.2010.501167.
The history of Mental Health in Latin America is relatively young. It dates back to the mid nineteenth century and widely developed during the twentieth century, with formidable scientific, social, political, and ethical challenges. Latin American psychiatry has contributed in the fields of epidemiology, phenomenology, social psychiatry, psychiatric and epistemological research, and clinical genetics as well. More recent advances can also be seen in clinical psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. Now, there is a formal and informal recognition of various areas of expertise, such as children and adolescents, addictions, anxiety disorders, among others. However, we need to solve the health problems resulting from mental illnesses as well as the disorders related to the social, environmental, political, and economic factors of a continent marked by the precariousness of underdevelopment, which have a high impact on population health. Therefore, considering and trying to minimize the impact of those factors, contributing to the destigmatization of mental illnesses and their consequences, together with the growing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), human rights defenders, public figures, etc., and collaborating in building a society that guarantees the right to mental health and adequate treatment and rehabilitation are part of our present challenges in Latin America.
拉丁美洲的心理健康历史相对较短。它可以追溯到 19 世纪中叶，并在 20 世纪广泛发展，面临着巨大的科学、社会、政治和伦理挑战。拉丁美洲的精神病学在流行病学、现象学、社会精神病学、精神科和认识论研究以及临床遗传学等领域也做出了贡献。在临床心理治疗和精神药理学方面也可以看到更近期的进展。现在，已经正式和非正式地承认了各种专业领域，如儿童和青少年、成瘾、焦虑症等。然而，我们需要解决由精神疾病引起的健康问题，以及与社会、环境、政治和经济因素相关的障碍，因为这个大陆的发展不稳定，这对人口健康有很大的影响。因此，考虑并试图最小化这些因素的影响，有助于消除精神疾病及其后果的污名化，再加上越来越多的非政府组织（NGO）、人权捍卫者、公众人物等的参与，以及合作建立一个保障心理健康权利以及提供适当治疗和康复的社会，这些都是我们在拉丁美洲目前面临的挑战。
