Psychiatry in Latin America: a historical perspective

The evolution of psychiatry in Latin America reflects the merger of three different types of human interactions. The first one is represented by the aborigine cultures that prevailed in this Continent before its discovery. This group in primarily represented by the Aztec and Incas Indians who primordially occupied Mexico and Peru respectively. The second one is primarily exemplified by the Spaniards and Portuguese colonizers who discovered and occupied this Continent from 1492 till the second part of the Aix Century. The third one is personified by the forced African migration (slavery) that was initiated by the colonizers and maintained during most part of the colonization period. This ongoing multiethnic and multicultural process has led to what is today Latin America. In this context, the psychiatric ideology that prevailed in Spain and Portugal, primarily in Spain, had an enduring impact across Latin America during the colonization period. Nevertheless, the influence of the aborigine population culture and psychological framework not only helped to built the foundations of this continent but its manifestations still are present in today's Latin America. Given this context, in this article, a historical perspective of psychiatry in Latin America will be delineated, with emphasis on education, research and clinical practice from the pre-discovery period to the present time.