Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan attended the “Life Does Not Tolerate Emptiness International NGO Summit,” organized under the leadership of the Life Does Not Tolerate Emptiness Addiction Combat and Education Association (HAKMED), in cooperation with the General Directorate of Civil Society Relations of the Ministry of Interior and Ankara Üniversitesi, with the motto ‘Stay Alive!’. Speaking at the summit, where Üsküdar Üniversitesi was also among the stakeholders, Tarhan pointed out that addiction is an ecosystem disease. He stated, “It is not an individual problem, but an ecosystem-based one. Here, the micro-ecosystem is the individual, the meso-ecosystem is the family, environment, society, and the macro-ecosystem is culture and values. If we cannot uphold values, it will not be possible for us to prevent addiction in the medium and long term.”
Presidential Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Life Does Not Tolerate Emptiness Addiction Combat and Education Association President Dr. Mustafa Uzun, Presidential Health Policies Board Member Prof. Dr. Toker Ergüder, as well as representatives from various NGOs, United Nations (UN) representatives, World Health Organization (WHO) representatives, and many invited guests attended the summit held at the Grand Ankara Hotel.
President Erdoğan and Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş sent congratulatory telegrams to the summit, which was attended by Presidential Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
Within the scope of the summit, Deniz Rahimoğlu, who had overcome addiction, shared her struggle story. Tarhan congratulated her.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “‘Life does not tolerate emptiness’ is a very meaningful saying…”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan delivered a protocol speech at the summit. Tarhan stated; “‘Life does not tolerate emptiness’ is a very meaningful saying. Recent neuroscience studies clearly demonstrate this. Hinton, a cognitive psychologist focused on the question ‘How does the human brain work?’, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024. Why did he receive it? Because he worked on artificial neural networks. He laid the foundation for artificial intelligence algorithms by focusing on how the human brain functions. For this reason, he is called the father or godfather of artificial intelligence. He received this award together with a geneticist. It is said about him that he received the Nobel ‘for persistently defending his minority idea’. This situation reminds us that just as we missed the printing and industrial revolutions, we must not miss the artificial intelligence revolution. We need to focus on how we can use artificial intelligence in the field of addiction. Another important dimension of the ‘life does not tolerate emptiness’ truth revealed by neuroscience is this: The human brain is in search of eternity and meaning. The brain seeks freedom, relational satisfaction, and social interaction. These concepts are known in the literature as Yalom's four existential anxieties. If an individual cannot satisfy their search for meaning, their need to overcome loneliness, their quest for freedom, and their desire for connection, then they continue to search for eternity.”
“There is a leak at the bottom of the pot”
Tarhan, presenting alcohol and substance use with statistics, stated: “The human brain has a need for attachment. There are hormones related to this, and oxytocin and dopamine are among them. In fact, addiction is the misuse of the dopamine hormone. When we cannot fill this void, individuals become attached to substances. If they cannot connect to a meaning, to a higher power, they turn to substances. Or they become attached to temporary, worldly things and experience dissatisfaction. Currently, mental illnesses are increasing on a global scale. According to last year's statistics from the World Health Organization, 85% of murders, 50% of rapes, 50% of violent incidents, 60% of traffic accidents, and 70% of violence against women are committed while under the influence of alcohol and substances. What does this situation show? We are trying to fill a pot in society. Our state is working, our defense industry is working, there is intense effort in every field; we are trying to move Turkey to a better point. However, there is a leak at the bottom of the pot. There is a loss. Such incidents and what happens in prisons have a significant economic cost. Currently, there are approximately 800,000 probation files. These relate to individuals facing legal issues and using prohibited substances. It is also known that there are several times more individuals who use substances but do not face legal problems.”
“We use positive reinforcement methods to prevent people from becoming addicted”
Stating that the fight against addiction is not just a medical struggle, Tarhan said: “Currently, in what we define as developed countries – the United States, Europe, London, Paris, New York – the streets smell of marijuana. Therefore, we still have some advantages to prevent our future from being like this, and we need to activate them. The fight against addiction is not just a medical issue, nor merely a medical treatment process. Hospital treatment is often approached superficially, with detox applied in 7–14 days. However, the real problem is related to disease prevention. Here, there are concepts of primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. Medical treatment is the easier and shorter path in this process. What is truly important is primary prevention, which means working to keep healthy individuals from becoming sick. Within this scope, as Üsküdar Üniversitesi, we conducted a study. We carried out a study with 20 psychologists over five years. We prepared content as a supplementary textbook for 9th-grade students and published it on the university's website under the name ‘Science of Happiness and Values’. The book contains various modules such as the meaning and purpose module, gratitude module, thankfulness module, anger management module, and empathy module. We provide education to young people with these modules. Without directly addressing addiction, we aim for guidance counselors to take this content within a scientific methodology framework and apply it in schools through psychodrama activities. We use positive reinforcement methods to prevent people from becoming addicted.”
“Those who experience exploratory despair emerge stronger when they grasp hope”
Emphasizing the importance of volunteerism in overcoming addiction, Tarhan said: “Working on family projects is fruitful. Addiction is an ecosystem disease. It is not an individual problem, but an ecosystem-based one. Here, the micro-ecosystem is the individual. The meso-ecosystem is the family, environment, society. The macro-ecosystem is culture, values. If we cannot uphold values, it will not be possible for us to prevent addiction in the medium and long term. This is a threat not only for Turkey but globally. However, Turkey is much luckier in overcoming this threat. Because it has the human power to achieve this. We have very valuable associations. We have non-governmental organizations that think not only of today but also of the future. I hope that such activities will continue with new projects. We can reach out to young people, we can win over families. If there is volunteerism, one should never be pessimistic that an addicted person will not recover. In fact, we call this exploratory despair. Some people fall into despair, saying, ‘Everything is empty, ruined, over,’ and ‘I won't recover.’ However, those who experience exploratory despair emerge stronger when they grasp hope. We call this developmental trauma. They emerge stronger from the trauma they experienced and can start a new period in their lives.” Tarhan concluded his words.