VOA慢速英语--阿根廷人通过病毒危机找到继续治疗的方法

Argentines Find Ways to Continue Therapy¹ Through Virus Crisis²

Argentina has more mental health professionals per person than most other countries in the world. Many Argentines depend on therapists in their daily lives.

Now, they are finding⁴ new ways to bring their therapists into their homes -- through phone calls and meeting apps. The South American nation has been under a government-ordered quarantine since the middle of March. The order is set to last until at least April 26.

Claudia Borensztejn is president of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association⁵, or APA. She told Reuters, "We are receiving many calls, the situation opens many new doors."

Borensztejn said that discussions⁶ between therapists and their patients are now almost all about the coronavirus outbreak. She said many patients report having panic attacks, anxiety about being stuck inside, trouble sleeping, and extreme worry about their economic situation.

A culture of therapy is well established in Argentina. Many people make weekly trips to their mental health provider, said Borensztejn. Now those meetings are happening in different ways.

"We're ‘entering' patients' houses, which would never have happened previously," she said.

The coronavirus outbreak has led to more than 2.4 million confirmed cases and more than 160,000 deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization has warned countries that the crisis is "generating⁷ stress" worldwide.

Borensztejn's organization has opened a free telephone line to serve patients in emergencies. Phone operators⁸ can direct callers to professionals who can take new cases and offer any necessary treatment. Borensztejn says many calls for help have come from doctors.

Romina is a 47-year-old businesswoman living in the capital, Buenos Aires. She has two young children. She has been going to therapy for many years. She wants to continue therapy at home -- even though finding a quiet place to talk is not always easy.

"I go to the car so I'm not distracted⁹ and so I have more privacy," said Romina, who wanted to use only her first name. She and her therapist³ talk by phone, which she says is easier than by computer.

Psychology¹⁰ is an important part of Argentine culture, especially psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a treatment method developed by the famous Austrian brain doctor, Sigmund Freud. Patients under the treatment are to talk freely¹¹ and at length to their therapists, especially about early life experiences.

On the streets and in schools across Argentina, it is common to hear therapy terms used in everyday discussions. The country has around 222 psychologists for every 100,000 people, a 2017 WHO mental health report found. That compares to less than 30 in the United States, 49 in France, 12 in neighboring Brazil and 103 in Australia.

Marisa Chamizo is a psychoanalyst based in Buenos Aires. She said the fact that her country has so many mental health professionals shows that, in her words, "we are a population that is more in touch with our own difficulties...That is why we look for help."

Romina said many of her current therapy meetings center on the pressures of balancing job, childcare and housework, as well as the effects of social separation.

"To be honest there have been times when I haven't been okay," she said. Talking to her therapist, she added, helps "get things off my chest."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

per - prep. for each

therapist - n. a person trained in methods of treating illnesses especially without the use of drugs or surgery¹²

anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

panic - n. a state or feeling of extreme fear that makes someone unable to act or think normally¹³

quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease¹⁴ or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

distracted - adj. unable to think about or pay attention to something : unable to concentrate

stress - n. a state of mental tension¹⁵ and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.

psychology - n. the science or study of the mind and behavior

get something off your chest - idiomatic¹⁶ expression. to talk to someone about something that has been worrying you, so that you feel better about it.

1 therapy   

n.治疗；疗法

参考例句：

• The doctor said she should be given a physical therapy.医生说她应该进行理疗。
• She will need to have the therapy repeated every few months.她将需要每隔几个月就进行一次治疗。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 therapist   

n.治疗专家

参考例句：

• My therapist helped me feel my anger.我的治疗专家帮助我感受自己的怒气。
• Family therapists.家庭治疗师。

4 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

5 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

6 discussions   

n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 )；商讨；详述；论述

参考例句：

• Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
• Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。

7 generating   

n.发生，产生v.生（儿、女）( generate的现在分词 )；（通过物理或化学过程）发生；生成；引起

参考例句：

• There are many ways of generating a two-dimensional representation of an object. 有很多制作物体二维图的方法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Generating functions are an ideal tool for studying sequences defined by recurrence. 母函数是研究用递推关系来确定的函数的最理想工具。 来自辞典例句

8 operators   

n.（某企业的）经营者( operator的名词复数 )；（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员；投机取巧者

参考例句：

• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market. 大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。 来自辞典例句
• Green house operators have considerable opportunity for precise manipulation of nutrients. 温室管理员有很多机会来准确控制养分。 来自辞典例句

9 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。

10 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

11 freely   

adv.自由地，随便地，无拘无束地

参考例句：

• She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水，痛痛快快地哭了起来。
• A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动，无固定形态。

12 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

13 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

14 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

15 tension   

n.(紧张)状态；拉(绷)紧；张力，拉力

参考例句：

• I could feel the tension in the room. 我可以感觉到房间里的紧张气氛。
• Relaxaion is better than tension. 缓和比紧张好。

16 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。