Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Türkiye has the highest increase in violence incidents after the USA"
Euronews Turkish interviewed President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, who has expertise in psychiatry and community psychology, about the recent incidents of social violence in Türkiye. Emphasizing that violent incidents have increased in Türkiye as in the United States, Tarhan mentioned that violent incidents have a large impact on people who use substances. Mentioning that short, medium and long-term measures should be taken, Tarhan emphasized that the highest increase is in Türkiye after the USA.
Underlining the need to distinguish between illness and crime, Tarhan expressed that "Violence is on the rise in Türkiye, as it is in the United States. When we look at the incidents of violence, it is seen that people who use substances have a large effect. In Türkiye, a system such as probation has been legally established so that those who use substances can be controlled."
"Short, medium and long-term measures need to be taken here. According to the IPSOS report in Türkiye, it is seen that the highest increase in the use of antidepressants is currently in Türkiye after the USA. More precisely, we are the second country with the highest increase in psychiatric patients. This means that we should no longer confuse a disease with guilt."
"Policies to combat addiction should be put on the table"
Tarhan emphasizes the need to re-examine the fight against addiction in Türkiye.
"We do not need to reinvent America. Since these violent incidents have increased a lot in the USA, they have made short, medium and long-term plans for this. One is that they have increased the power and powers of the police. In fact, the granting of this authority has been increased to the point of police violence. The reason for the increase is actually the increase in these addiction cases."
"In fact, there are so many cases of addiction in the USA that people who use drugs on the streets in Pennsylvania as a state are easily walking around. These people are kept silent so that they do not cause a scene and they die. Türkiye is also heading towards it. In the fight against addiction, Türkiye needs to review its addiction policies for the medium and long term."
"City hospitals may be insufficient"
Arguing that the existing hospitals will not be sufficient for the treatment of these people, the academician states the solutions that can be taken in the short term as follows: "In the first place, the authority of the police should be increased, and in the medium term, rehabilitation centers related to addiction should be opened. Again, there are examples of this in the USA. It is treated for 3 months, then stopped. Examples of this are the opening of such long-term rehabilitation centers. Therefore, a city hospital should be dedicated to this. It should be devoted only to this. In a way, city hospitals are not suitable for patients at the moment, in this case, they may be insufficient. These people both use substances and create legal problems. These people have increased a lot in society. They definitely need to be rehabilitated. This is a medium-term measure. As a long-term measure, make these people the primary protection, as is done in the United States. So that healthy people do not get sick. Secondary prevention is to identify risk groups and work on them. Tertiary protection is to work to ensure that people who have been released from the hospital do not come back to the hospital."
'We are not responsible for women's safety' declaration
Referring to the lack of a strategy in this direction in Türkiye, Tarhan believes that the current situation poses a 'security problem'. Tarhan stated that “These primary, secondary and tertiary prevention efforts are not currently available as a policy or medical strategy in Türkiye. Addiction treatment has been reduced to medical treatment. It is not something that psychiatrists can deal with from medical treatment. Therefore, this has now become a serious security issue. It seems that these incidents will increase. And when we look at such incidents, it can be hesitant to say, ‘They get out of prison anyway.’”
"The police want more powers, but they cannot act as a deterrent because of the lack of authority, its limitation and the poor functioning of the judicial control system. Citizens cannot take their children out on the streets. In Houston, the USA, especially the government, advertised, ‘We cannot protect women who leave after 10:00 p.m.’. Think about it, it happened 7-8 years ago. In Houston, Texas, there is currently an ad that reads, ‘We are not responsible for the safety of women who leave after 10:00 p.m.’ This may also come to the fore as a precautionary measure in Türkiye."