Transformation of Mental Health Care Systems in Argentina Troughout History

Introduction Argentina is the second largest country in Latin America. The country extends for about 3800 km from north to south and is about 1400 km at its widest extension from east to west. Its population is around 40 million people. Nearly 95 % of the inhabitants are from Europe; over 50% are from Italy, followed by a closer percentage from Spain, and other minorities that are principally from European and Arab countries. Buenos Aires has a population of 13 million including its sorroundings called Greater Buenos Aires. In the city, there are has eight medical university colleges. Regarding income and wealth, there are deep disparities in Argentina. For example, in 2000, the richest 10 percent of the population earned 36 percent of the country's income, while the poorest 10 percent earned just 1.5 percent of income. Around 36 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, therefore, the increasing wealth concentration and its increasingly unfair and unequal distribution is the main poverty-related issue. Another issue is that there are as many as 8 million Argentineans working in the informal sector. An in some areas, the black market accounts for 60 percent of economic activity. According to Government estimates, 11 percent of the population cannot meet their basic food needs. Besides, poverty rates are about 20 percent higher in the rural areas than in the urban areas. There follows some information about graduate and post graduate studies in Medicine and Psychology, and mental health professionals: Many Latinoamerican college students come regularly to Argentina. The medicine colleges are free of charge in national Universities, and they are inexpensive in the private ones. The academic quality of our Universities is well known all over the world. About 5,000 psychiatrists and 50,000 psychologists work in our country.