Child and adolescent psychiatry training in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile: current panorama and future challenges.

Mental disorders affect approximately 10-15% of children and adolescents worldwide. In South America these numbers are probably higher due to poverty and adverse life events that frequently affect this region. The availability of qualified services and well-trained professionals to care for those children are by far insufficient. The aim of this study was to assess and describe child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) training in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, to support the development and strengthen training standards. The coordinators of CAP residency programs in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile were invited to answer an online questionnaire about the characteristics of their training programs. Twelve programs from Brazil, three programs from Chile, two from Argentina, and one from Uruguay completed the questionnaires. In the last three countries, CAP is recognized as an independent specialty, while in Brazil it is considered a subspecialty of psychiatry. None of the countries have a national guideline for CAP residency training. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of professionals interested in pursuing a formal CAP training. This is the first study aiming to evaluate the current scenario of CAP training in South America. The results point to a great potential in the evaluated programs, but also to the need for homogeneous criteria for CAP training and evaluation of residents. A more efficient communication among programs would be an enriching strategy for their development, which may be facilitated by the results of this study.