[Prevalence of psychotherapeutic treatments in citizens of Buenos Aires city].

INTRODUCTION: Little data exist about the prevalence of psycotherapy used by the general population of the city of Buenos Aires. The aim of our study was to determine this prevalence, the demographic characteristics of the population that receives psychotherapy, as well as types and characteristics of these psycotherapies.

METHOD: A survey was conducted among 1510 inhabitants in different neighbourhoods of the city of Buenos Aires.

RESULTS: During the month previous to the survey, 15.6% of the population received psychotherapy treatment, 21% during the last year and 41.6% had received before. Psychoterapy treatment is more prevalent among women and people with higher educational and social-economic level, and it is less frequent in the elderly group. No differences in the use of psychotherapy exist according to marital status. Forty four percent of the patients under treatment at the moment of the survey were unaware of the type of psychotherapy received, 41.3% knew that they were receiving psychoanalytic therapy and 8% cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Eighty-two percent of the treatments were conducted by psychologists and 11% by physicians.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of the psychotherapy is very extended among the general population of the city of Buenos Aires.