Psychotherapeutic treatment in Buenos Aires city. Prevalence and characteristics. Comparison with the study of the year 2007.

Abstract

Introduction: In the last few years, use of psychotherapy has been studied in both our country and other parts of the world. The aim of our study was to determine the current prevalence of psychotherapy use, its characteristics and to compare it with the study done in 2007. Method: A survey was conducted among 1348 inhabitants over 18 years of age in the city of Buenos Aires between April and May 2019 and it was compared with the study done in the year 2007. Results: During the month prior to the survey, 19.9% of the sample received psychotherapy treatment. Psychotherapy treatment is more prevalent among women, middle-aged people and individuals with a higher educational level. Half of the treatments were psychoanalytic and the majority of them were individual and with a private funding source. Only one out of 5 had signed an informed consent before starting the treatment, and only one in 4 had been informed about other treatment options. In comparison with the previous survey, in which the prevalence of psychotherapeutic treatment in the last month was of 15,6%, in this survey a greater percentage of individuals had psychotherapy, although with a lower frequency and mainly with private funding. Conclusions: The prevalence of psychotherapy in the city of Buenos Aires is high and has increased in the last decade.