Salud Mental: Brecha de Tratamiento

Research Paper: Salud Mental: Brecha de Tratamiento. Abstract/Summary: ARTICLE Salud Mental en América Latina: Prevalencia, Recursos y Brecha de Tratamiento por País (2000-2024) Juan Moisés de la Serna 1,* 1 , Logroño, Spain; juanmoises.delaserna@.net * Correspondence: juanmoises.delaserna@.net; ORCID: 0000-0002-8401-8018 Abstract: Mental health disorders represent a significant public health burden across Latin America, yet comprehensive data on treatment gaps and mental health workforce availability remain fragmented. This study presents a systematic analysis of mental health prevalence, psychiatric resources (psychiatrists, psychologists, hospital beds per 100,000 population), and the treatment gap (proportion of people with mental disorders not receiving treatment) across 15 Latin American countries from 2000 to 2024. Data were extracted from the WHO Mental Health Atlas, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) surveillance systems, and national epidemiological surveys. Depression affects 5.3% of the adult population, anxiety disorders 3.8%, and substance use disorders 2.1%, yet treatment gaps exceed 70% in most countries. The mean psychiatrist density is 2.4 per 100,000 population (range: 0.3–6.8