Condorito on the Couch: Representations of Mental Illness and Psychoanalysis in a Latin American Comic, 1949–2023

This article offers a historical and cultural analysis of Condorito, one of the most influential Latin American comic magazines, focusing on its representations of mental illness and psychological treatment—particularly psychoanalysis—from 1949 to 2023. Drawing on approaches from cultural history and the history of knowledge, the study examines how psychiatric and psychoanalytic ideas circulated beyond professional and institutional settings and became embedded in popular culture. Through a qualitative and longitudinal analysis of more than 160 comic strips, the article reconstructs recurring visual and narrative motifs related to madness, psychiatric institutions, and therapeutic figures. It argues that Condorito functioned as a privileged platform for the popular appropriation, satire, and critique of “psi” culture in Latin America. Rather than presenting psychoanalysis as a coherent or authoritative system, the comic depicts a hybrid therapeutic landscape in which psychoanalysis coexists with older psychiatric paradigms, magical-religious practices, and common-sense explanations of suffering. By examining humor, inversion, and caricature, the article shows how Condorito reflects both the deep cultural penetration of psychoanalytic discourse and its perceived limits regarding accessibility, efficacy, and social inequality. Ultimately, the study contributes to a history of psychoanalysis “from below,” highlighting the role of popular media in shaping collective understandings of mental health in Latin America.