Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was a guest on the 'Gündem Özel' program broadcast on Rehber TV. Making evaluations regarding the traumatic effects of the earthquake, Tarhan said, “People living in an earthquake zone should not prioritize the earthquake in their lives, but they should keep it in a corner of their minds. Just as precautions are taken against theft in a house, mental preparation is required for an earthquake. Those who are not prepared experience more panic. Those who are prepared get through this period more calmly.”
We have forgotten the earthquake!
In the television program he attended, Tarhan emphasized that people should keep the earthquake in a corner of their minds, not in the foreground, saying, “An earthquake is a traumatic experience. It affected everyone, even a child. In fact, we need to be a psychologically prepared society for earthquakes. However, despite this, this earthquake was perceived by society as an unexpected earthquake, like the August 17th earthquake. This means we have actually forgotten the earthquake. Because people living in an earthquake zone should not prioritize the earthquake in their lives, but they should keep it in a corner of their minds. Just as precautions are taken against theft in a house, mental preparation is required for an earthquake. We saw that those who were not prepared experienced more panic. Those who were prepared got through this period more calmly. All these indicate that we are not very prepared for earthquakes.”
“Fear should not turn into panic”
Emphasizing that fear should not turn into panic and that mental preparation is required for this, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said: “Since an earthquake is a trauma, individuals need to manage the crisis during traumas. If they have preparation for this crisis, they manage it more easily. But if they have no preparation and don't know what to do in case of a fire, they will make wrong moves. This is one of the important conclusions to be drawn. Also, it is natural for us to experience fear. This is a human emotion. Not being afraid in such situations is abnormal. Experiencing fear is natural, but it should not turn into panic. Mental preparation is required to prevent it from turning into panic. In such situations, children usually look sideways at their parents. If their parents are calm, the children will also be calm. If a person thinks about the earthquake but continues their normal life, their fear remains within acceptable, reasonable limits. But earthquake fear that is not within reasonable limits can create difficulties in a person's life. For example, if there is a tremor, they might immediately jump out of the window.”
Children need to be taught the realities of life!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that uncertainty can cause psychological problems in children, using the following expressions: “Some parents never talk to their children about earthquakes. When the child comes to the living room, they immediately turn off the television. The child has no information about the earthquake. Uncertainty is worse for a child. The earthquake is discussed at school, but when they come home, the television is turned off. When there is uncertainty, the child becomes more anxious. They think, 'If something bad happens, my parents will hide it from me,' and they start to question trust. However, in education, it is necessary to show kindergarten children that the fish in the aquarium can die. If we don't teach this to the child, child depression occurs. These are the inevitable realities of life. Instead of avoiding or covering them up, it is necessary to approach the child by saying, 'life also has such realities, let's face them.' If we can teach this, children become more resilient to stress.”