Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest on Beyaz TV's program "Aslı Kılıç’la Beyaz Sayfa". Emphasizing that some psychological illnesses can be contagious, Tarhan stated that there are shared psychiatric illnesses. Tarhan expressed that it is not ethical to address psychiatric disorders in an exaggerated manner in TV series, noting that this can lead to fear of psychiatric illness and fear of stigmatization in people.
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan made evaluations regarding "Addiction and Obsession".
"Love is the most basic need of a child"
Stating that love is the most important psychological need, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that some problems may arise when the need for love is not met. Tarhan; "A child has two basic needs. One is physical needs, and the other is psychological needs. The most important of the psychological needs is the need for love. Not meeting a child's need for love is a situation that halts their development. For example, when children abandoned in orphanages frequently change caregivers, sudden deaths occur in these children. This is because when there is no secure relationship for the child to form a bond of love, a basic sense of trust does not develop. When a basic sense of trust does not develop, fear dominates. When fear dominates, stress hormones are secreted in the brain instead of growth hormones. When stress hormones are secreted, the brain slows down growth. Because growth is weakened, the child frequently gets sick. They frequently have fevers, and sudden things occur. Physiological disorders emerge. Sudden deaths happen. These are findings from research conducted. Therefore, love is the most basic need of a child." he began.
"Growing up with unconditional love is more dangerous than growing up without love"
Emphasizing the importance of consistency in love, Tarhan; "Love is a psychological nourishment that a child needs to receive. Those who say 'I didn't receive love' in their childhood actually do receive love, but this love is inconsistent. The mother acts differently, and the father acts differently. The mother acts differently in the morning and differently in the evening. Here, a discipline with love is needed. If a person does not receive love in a disciplined manner, that love becomes unconditional love. Growing up with unconditional love is more dangerous than growing up without love. In unconditional love, the child cannot learn the boundaries of life. They cannot learn emotional boundaries. They don't learn whom to love and whom not to love. Their emotional literacy does not develop. They don't read the other person's emotions. Many psychological problems stem not from a lack of love, but from receiving the wrong kind of love." he stated.
Learning the boundaries of love is necessary…
Stating that there must be a rule-based environment for love to build trust, Tarhan; "Some children receive love from two or three people. This makes them insatiable in love. They want that love from everyone, but not everyone can give as much abundant love as a mother or father. When they can't, they think no one loves them. Here, the boundaries of love need to be learned. In other words, love is like water, like a spring. Love needs to be limited by rules and placed in the vessel of respect. This way, it prepares the person for life, helps them gain problem-solving skills, and develops self-confidence. When there is unconditional, inconsistent love, that child feels unloved. They think they were raised without love. For example, a child may not have grown up without love but has many traumas. Therefore, love is an important component, but not the only component. For love to build trust, there must be a rule-based environment. One needs to learn the boundaries of life. For example, courtesy does not mean saying yes to everything. Courtesy means respecting the rights of the other party, being able to defend one's own rights, and establishing a balanced relationship. A greater form of love is compassion, and a greater form of respect is courtesy. Undoubtedly, there is a measure and balance within both." he said.
"Nafs is the part within us that commands evil"
Emphasizing that one must struggle with the evil part within oneself, Tarhan; "Obsessive-compulsive disorder is commonly referred to as 'vesvese' among the people. It is said that the devil gives 'vesvese'. Otto Kernberg, one of the last representatives of psychoanalysis, made a revolution in psychoanalysis. Previously, it was accepted in psychoanalysis that 'Man is inherently good.' Kernberg here said, 'There is both a good part and an evil part within man.' In other words, he changed the approach that 'Only man is good, others are bad.' He stated that we need to recognize this evil part within us and discipline and educate it. In individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, the evil part within them generates absurd thoughts and ideas that can influence the brain's integrity. In our religion, this is called 'nafs'. Nafs is the part within us that commands evil. It is our duty to educate it. It will produce absurd things, and we will say no to it. If we pay attention to it, it grows. The more we feed it, the more it grows. If we see it as big, it grows; if we see it as small, it shrinks. If we give it importance, it increases; if we don't, it decreases. It is a part within us that produces 'vesvese'. Therefore, if we succeed in disciplining that part, we will also have disciplined the wild horse within us. If we discipline the wild horse, it will take us to our goal; if we don't, it will leave us halfway." he said.
"Some psychiatric illnesses are contagious"
Referring to the explicit depiction of psychological cases in TV series and films, Tarhan spoke about its impact on society. Tarhan; "Some psychiatric illnesses are contagious. There are shared paranoias. There are shared psychiatric illnesses. When one person has it, everyone shares it and models it, trying to repeat the same things. Discussing psychological illnesses in programs arouses curiosity. Some producers wanted to feature my cases as topics. I kept my distance. Because it's not ethical. If I tell, many people will be affected, and it will harm them. Even if consent is obtained from individuals who trust us and share their private matters, it is still problematic. In such TV series, they exaggerate psychiatric illnesses. They portray something that doesn't exist as if it does. For example, an event that spans 10-15 days in a person's life is portrayed as if it encompasses their entire life. By their nature, TV series narrate with exaggeration. This time, fear of psychiatric illness and fear of stigmatization emerge in people. Therefore, exaggerating the depiction of psychiatric illnesses is not ethical. A brief, concise, realistic presentation in the form of books or case reports, and providing information, benefits society. Exaggerating pollutes society and minds." he stated.
"Narcissistic individuals frighten people with death and make them settle for malaria"
Speaking about the characteristics of narcissistic people, Tarhan; "Narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic personality trait are different. Narcissistic personality traits exist to some extent in everyone. If someone says, 'I am not a narcissist,' they don't know themselves. Because the primary narcissist is a child. The secondary narcissist is a schizophrenic. A schizophrenic believes themselves to be the center of the world. They make it rain, start wars, but don't care about anything else. There is also learned narcissism. That is a personality disorder. If the person realizes it, it can be corrected, but if they are unaware and try to make everyone like themselves, these individuals have narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissistic individuals frighten people with death and make them settle for malaria. They demean the other party but claim they do it for them. They want a master-slave relationship. If you say yes to such people, you will be bought. They suddenly devalue you but are also afraid of losing whatever they value." he concluded.