Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing the importance of morale and psychological resilience in diseases with difficult treatment processes like cancer, stated that individuals can cope better with their illnesses if they find something that makes their lives meaningful. Tarhan stressed that the period of severe illness is when the need for comfort and the search for meaning is highest, saying, “In such periods, the old approach was ‘to fight illness, to fight death.’ For a person to fight things they cannot control, things beyond their power, is to suffer. The new scientific approach recommends walking with the illness.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made a statement on the occasion of Cancer Week, evaluating the importance of psychological well-being and spiritual guidance in cancer treatment.
The meaning attributed to cancer is different from other diseases
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that morale is very important in cancer, said, “Cancer is considered the most feared disease group among many chronic diseases. Among chronic diseases, there are pancreatic disease, COPD, which is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney diseases requiring dialysis. There are many new methods and developments regarding the treatment of these diseases. In some diseases, the meaning people attribute to an illness they know can be cured with a standard operation is different, but the meaning attributed to cancer is very different from that attributed to COPD or kidney disease.”
Quality of life and mental health deteriorate
Tarhan stated that cancer evokes death more than other diseases, and this situation negatively affects the patient's mental health, saying, “These diseases mostly evoke death and an inability to resist in individuals. People think they will lose many comforts of life, and their physical well-being. The quality of life for patients deteriorates significantly. These diseases severely negatively impact mental health.”
Why are spiritual support programs important?
Tarhan, noting that spiritual support programs are implemented worldwide for diseases with difficult treatment processes like cancer, said, “Especially in diseases like cancer, spiritual support programs are carried out according to the person’s request. Here, the word 'spiritual' needs to be understood correctly. The word 'spiritual' (Manevi) comes from the root 'mana,' meaning semantic or related to meaning. It means being able to look at the semantic dimension of anything. For example, you look at and examine a book. When evaluating the material dimension of the book, its writing is beautiful, and very high-quality paper is used. The semantic dimension of the book, however, relates to the messages within the book… These two should not be confused.”
The search for meaning is unique to humans
Tarhan noted that in matters related to chronic death and the end of life, not only the visible aspects of living but also the unseen issues are questioned, saying, “This situation is related to the search for meaning, which is unique to humans and distinguishes humans from other living beings. It is related to meta-cognitive genes that cause the search for meaning in humans. No other living creature has a search for meaning. When you look at the imaginative and meaningful world of a dog, there is a bone, but the human world of meaning is different for everyone and varies according to each person's individuality.”
In such times, the search for meaning begins
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also stated that people embark on a search for meaning during such times, that is, when struggling with severe illnesses, saying, “If people find something that makes their lives meaningful in such times, they can cope better with chronic diseases. But a meaning that explains death is needed. A search for meaning that explains death, satisfies a person, convinces them, and eliminates the uncertainty after death is almost what satisfies a person best.”
Humanity's most important psychological need is to be happy
Emphasizing the importance of psychological resilience in the recovery phase of fighting illness, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “The most important issue affecting the course of the disease is related to a person’s psychological needs. There are also studies on humanity’s most important psychological need. In two separate studies conducted on people living in Scandinavia and Africa, ‘What is humanity’s greatest psychological need?’ is investigated. In both countries, people are asked, ‘Is it to be famous, to be rich, to own many things, or to be happy?’ In both samples, people overwhelmingly prefer to be happy. Currently, it is referred to as the science of well-being, the science of happiness. Science defines this as well-being. This is humanity’s greatest psychological need.”
Moral strength mobilizes people
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing that the need for psychological well-being increases more in chronic and severe illnesses, said, “The moral power that mobilizes people is spiritual power.
When it takes away a person’s life energy, their motivation also drops. Their ability to mobilize themselves also drops. That’s why morale and motivation are important.”
The need for comfort and search for meaning increases during this period
“If a person can add meaning to their work and life, they have a reason to act in such situations,” said Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, concluding his words as follows:
“A person can be happy with what they do. In such situations, they can mobilize themselves. Someone who is ill feels this need even more in such a situation. The period when a person is most open to suggestion is when they are severely ill. This period is when the need for comfort and the search for meaning is highest. In such periods, the old approach was ‘to fight illness, to fight death.’ For a person to fight things they cannot control, things beyond their power, is to suffer. In this method, the new scientific approach, it is recommended to walk with the illness.”