How’s this for transparency: I’m writing this column in the midst of a mini mental breakdown.
Last week my landlord informed me that she won’t renew my contract when it expires in December; her sister wants to move in, which means I have to move out. After taking an extremely deep breath, waiting to get home to burst into tears and furiously text all of my group chats, the next thought that came to mind was when I’d be speaking to my therapist about it.
Naturally.
Football, Malbec, asado, therapy. The pillars of Argentine society. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which at this point in late-stage capitalism, honestly sounds rather nice) you’re probably familiar with the statistic that there are 222 psychologists for every 100,000 people in Argentina — the highest number per capita in the world.
When Argentines take a load off after a long day of mental anguish and check what’s on Netflix, guess what? Yes, therapy-related content there, too! From the mega-hit “Envidiosa” starring Griselda Siciliani — featuring audience-favorite therapist Fernanda, played by Lorena Vega — to Ricardo Darín’s latest (and unfortunately mediocre) film “Therapy Done Right”, it’s almost inescapable. And certainly not new: a fiction series about a therapy group called “Vulnerables” became one of the most popular TV shows in Argentina back in the late 90s.
There isn’t the same taboo around going to therapy here as there is in other countries. After growing up in the United States, where people get hush-hush when mentioning that they or someone in their family is seeing a therapist, it’s beyond refreshing to be part of a culture that’s so welcoming and receptive to mental health treatment. Even in an unlikely universe as men’s international football: hero goalie Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez had no problem speaking candidly about how he dealt with confidence issues with his team’s therapist.
Also, there are as many styles of therapy available as there are flavors at my local heladería. Traditional Freudian psychoanalysis remains one of the most popular, though I was under the impression that it lost traction (and credibility) by the 90s. That didn’t stop the late Anthony Bourdain from giving it a whirl for the Buenos Aires episode of his show “Parts Unknown”.
It does make sense, I suppose, since the invitation to take to the diván has a certain aura of seductive exclusivity to it. Why Argentines are so obsessed with Lacan, though, remains the largest mystery of all. Please, someone slide into my DMs and illuminate me. And don’t even get me started on Gestalt!
Losing it
But how much therapy is too much? Based on the number of hours we’ve all spent en sesión, shouldn’t we all be, well, a little bit more ~ healed ~ by now?
This fixation on self-reflection can spiral out of control, growing as labyrinthine as the streets of Parque Chas. Is it possible to overdose on navel gazing (asking for a friend)? And does it get to a point where talking (and talking) about ourselves and our issues yields diminishing returns?
Going into session every week doesn’t mean you’re actually working to become a better human being. The worst person you know is in therapy right now, learning terms like “boundaries,” “hypervigilance,” and “transference.” Allow me to quote a random Reddit user to summarize the conundrum:
- “That said, Argentina has a massive psychoanalysis bias, and seeing the current and most prevalent disorders (anxiety, depression and due to the quarantine lots of existential issues) in the general population of the country, it’s the wrong school and isn’t equipped to treat these things. To put it in different terms, imagine if the country had the most doctors per capita, but they are all neurologists, and what the people actually need are cardiologists.”
Listen, I’m as dedicated a patient as the next one. I love to take apart a problem, analyze it from every angle, consider new perspectives, and start again. But allow me to question the efficacy — and therapeutic benefit — of seeing the same analyst every week for years (and in some cases, decades).
Not to say that living in Argentina doesn’t provide us with plenty of fodder. Between the political and economic uncertainty, not to mention the gradual erosion of our social fabric, it’s a country marked by instability. A 2022 UBA survey confirmed that 54% of respondents were experiencing some sort of crisis (personal, financial, familial) and over 75% were struggling with sleep in some form or another.
Not that we needed scientific confirmation to know that we’re all on the verge of losing it, though. Nearly 1 in 5 Argentines takes medication to manage psychological or emotional distress. Spend a morning on Twitter and you’ll come across your fair share of memes making light of our dependence on our beloved Clona. Back in 2022 the shortage of Rivotril even made national headlines.
Maybe it’s time we all put our bedside copy of the DSM-5 down and change the subject. I’d say getting outside for sunshine and fresh air is the best remedy, but we haven’t seen blue skies since before the World Cup (brb, adding Seasonal Affective Disorder to our laundry list of maladies). OK, I think we’re officially doomed.
Oops, would you look at the time. We’re going to have to stop here for now. Let’s circle back next session; the divan awaits.
La entrada What is it with Argentines and therapy? se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald.