Buenos Aires, Argentina – Psychologist Jesica Bianchiotti, 35, still remembers the days when most sessions with her patients began with a chat about the weather or the results of the latest football match.
But those days are long gone. With Argentina facing one of the worst economic crises in its recent history, sessions now start with conversations about politics, rising prices and how hard it is to make ends meet.
“Things have changed a lot. The majority of my patients now come with issues related to anxiety, fear, problems with sleeping, all related to the uncertainty we all live with — how impossible it is to make long-term plans,” said Bianchiotti, who works in the greater Buenos Aires area.
Argentina boasts the third-largest economy in Latin America — but it has been beset by financial turmoil for decades, fuelled by political instability and massive international debt.
This year, inflation hit record levels, rocketing higher than 140 percent. The value of Argentina’s currency has plummeted as a result. Even basic food shopping is a challenge for some.
Against that backdrop, professionals like Bianchiotti are reporting an increase in stress-related conditions. Argentina, though, has developed a way to grapple with the problem: It has the highest rate of psychologists per capita in the world.
A 2015 study estimated that, for every 100,000 Argentinians, there are 194 psychologists — a rate more than three times higher than the next closest countries, Finland and Norway.
Psychotherapy is so popular that certain practitioners, like Gabriel Rolon, have achieved celebrity status, appearing on TV and radio shows. In 2022, psychology was also one of the most sought-after career paths at the University of Buenos Aires, second only to medicine.
The widespread embrace of psychotherapy, however, corresponds with widespread need, according to Bianchiotti. She has treated patients for nearly a decade and has seen an increase in the number of consultations she conducts.
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