Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi Chairman of the Board, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated organ donation from a psychological perspective within the scope of 3-9 November Organ Donation Week.
“Individuals with high empathy make more objective decisions”
Stating that donating means making a sacrifice, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “For a person to be able to make a sacrifice, they must be able to empathize. The ability to empathize needs to be developed. Empathy is not a talent, but a skill and something learned.”
Emphasizing that empathy should be learned from childhood, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that individuals with high empathy, wisdom capacity, and who transcend themselves to think universally, are more objective when making decisions.
Some psychological disorders can be seen in individuals who narcissistically possess their organs
Stating that if a person dies without donating their organs, both the body and organs will return to the soil, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “This situation benefits neither the individual nor society. If a person says ‘let it be mine, even if it’s bad,’ there is narcissistic possessiveness. In individuals who narcissistically possess their organs, somatization disorder and panic disorder are particularly more common. These individuals attach such high meaning to their health that if a part of their body goes numb, they feel dizzy, or some strange thoughts come to mind, they panic, thinking ‘I am losing my mind.’ We call this narcissistic injury.”
Emphasizing that individuals who have overcome their narcissism think more objectively about organ donation, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan continued:
“People at this level of maturity approve organ donation when their child or a loved one passes away, saying ‘by donating my child’s organs, I am touching someone else’s life, and this means my child’s trace in the world continues.’ Only in such situations do great thinkers become advocates. Those who say ‘I am important, others are not’ turn a blind eye to the hope that could change others’ lives rotting under the ground. What makes us human is not the organic matter in our bodies, but this structure of ours.”
“Being traditionalist means leaving oneself behind”
Stating that after death, the soul and body quickly separate, and the soul has completed its duty and moved to another energy band, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “For religious individuals, there can be some prejudices about organ donation. They might think, ‘if the recipient does something wrong, my loved one will also be blamed for a sin.’ This is entirely superstition. A person is not responsible for a wrong done without their free will.”
“We donate blood, and it's a good thing we do,” said Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, reminding that donating blood once a year is a prophetic recommendation. Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that some perceive this as cupping, added:
“Regular blood donation is a prophetic recommendation…”
“In fact, if our Prophet were alive today, he would donate blood instead of performing cupping. When we interpret religion with today’s truths and give new answers to old questions, we understand that regular blood donation is a prophetic recommendation. Cupping is a traditionalist idea. Being traditional is good, but being traditionalist means leaving oneself behind. Those who perform or have cupping done should not misunderstand, but unfortunately, this does not replace the noble hadith. What replaces the noble hadith is donating blood to the Red Crescent (Kızılay). I have donated blood many times as long as my health allowed.”
“A person who can donate their organs is worthy of praise”
Stating that identity cards should include ‘my organs can be donated in case of my death’ with the person’s consent, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If it’s written, there's no need to ask relatives when this person dies; since there is consent on the identity card, their organs can be donated immediately. This is the ideal.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, drawing attention to the difference between donating a cadaver and donating organs, said, “A cadaver can also be donated for use in anatomy, which is a completely different situation. Organ donation, on the other hand, is something that can benefit another person. A person who can donate their organs has transcended themselves and is worthy of praise. Organ donation does not negatively affect a person. However, someone who is prejudiced, has never thought about this issue before, and is not accustomed to surprises, may be bewildered in such situations. It is necessary to dispel a person's prejudices. Organ donation does not negatively affect mental health. This is a sacrifice, and making such a sacrifice is a human value and emotion. The person who donates organs experiences the joy of helping another, and the recipient experiences the excitement and happiness of regaining their health. Both sides win.”
What should be opposed is not organ donation, but organ selling…
Stating that according to our belief system, donating organs is accepted, not selling them, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Therefore, no one can oppose organ donation on religious grounds; what should be opposed is organ selling. Unconscious individuals approach organ donation negatively, but currently, prejudice against it in society is gradually decreasing. The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı) has also issued very positive fatwas regarding organ donation and adopted a constructive approach. Therefore, these cultural prejudices in society mostly stem from ignorance.”
“Organ donation is a high moral value”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, also pointing out how the decision to donate organs can contribute to people feeling like they have contributed to society, concluded his words as follows:
“You feel the same when you donate organs as you do when you feed a hungry person, contribute to an orphan's education, or meet the needs of someone in need. Like the good feeling a judge experiences when dispensing justice, or the positive feelings a doctor awakens when their patient prays for them after treatment…”
“Organ donation is a high moral value. If there were a campaign about organ donation and they asked ‘would you like to donate?’ I would agree to have it written on my ID card. If the state launched a campaign, a mobilization, about this, I would say ‘there is no objection for me to donate my organs when I die.’”
