Üsküdar University Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, appeared as a guest on the Terapi Sohbetleri program broadcast on TRT Radyo1 within the scope of October 10 World Mental Health Day. Stating that mental illnesses cause more impairment than cancer and heart attacks, Tarhan pointed out that mental health is at least as important as physical health.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that recent research shows mental disorders, more than cancer or heart attacks, are the diseases causing impairment in individuals. He said: “Mental disorders render individuals unable to work, causing impairment. While it doesn't directly affect mortality rates, people with conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, stress disorders, and OCD can suddenly become unproductive. The World Health Organization has identified this as one of the most significant health problems. From an individual's perspective, it's like this: you go to your home, you go to your work, but you live without happiness, you live with a mental health disorder. Once you have a mental health disorder, what is the value of a person's wealth or fame? If your physical health is sound but you cannot taste or enjoy the tea you drink or the food you eat, if you are in a state of mind where life feels empty and everything is meaningless, this itself is the search for meaning inherent in human nature.”
Seventeen out of One Hundred People Receive a Diagnosis of Illness
Drawing attention to studies on depression, Tarhan stated: “The diagnosis of clinical depression is widespread in society globally. Seventeen out of every one hundred people receive such a diagnosis. When combined with other conditions, it suggests that nearly fifty percent of society experiences some form of mental illness, implying that almost fifty percent of society is unhappy. This, naturally, leads to severe societal impairment. It damages human relationships, contributes to violence and crime, and causes numerous other illnesses.”
Investment in Psychological Health is Necessary…
Emphasizing the importance of protecting mental health in society, Tarhan stated: “Individuals need to invest in their mental and psychological health. In the 2000s, global prosperity levels, particularly material prosperity, increased significantly; however, psychological and spiritual well-being did not rise in parallel. Currently, in New York’s Manhattan, where skyscrapers dominate, antidepressants are being detected in the sewage system. They are used so frequently that samples are even being taken from illicit substances, revealing the presence of antidepressant metabolites in the sewage. This situation indicates that antidepressants are consumed as commonly as bread and butter. It suggests that these individuals possess status, money, and everything else, yet they are not happy. They are attempting to find solace through antidepressants. Consequently, research was conducted, and a discipline called the science of happiness was defined. The first congress of this science, known as positive psychology, was held in 2009.”