Expert Articles

Stockholm Sendromu
Psy. Nida DAL IDIKUT

Stockholm Syndrome – Falling in Love with Your Executioner

While the first thing we look for in relationships is love, loyalty and respect, in some cases, people can develop positive feelings towards people who do not respect themselves, who behave badly, sometimes even torture them, and who use physical or psychological violence. In this situation, which seems abnormal from the outside, how can a person have positive feelings for the person who victimizes himself? In fact, we call this situation, which has become a defense mechanism in individuals, Stockholm Syndrome.

Stockholm Syndrome can be defined as individuals submitting to situations that put them in a difficult situation or even wearing them down, defending this situation, ignoring it, being with the oppressor despite being victimized, and even having positive feelings towards the oppressor.

It got its name as a result of an incident in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on August 23, 1973. The event takes place during a bank robbery. The person who robbed the bank holds people hostage for 6 days. During this process, the hostages formed an emotional bond with the hostage-taking criminal. During the court process that followed, the interesting thing is that the hostages collected money among themselves and covered the defense expenses of the thieves. It was revealed that when the robbery was over, the hostages had positive emotions such as compassion and empathy towards the robbers. In fact, a female employee of the bank broke up with her fiancé and married one of the thieves after her sentence was over. In those years, this situation was interpreted as “they could not steal money from the bank, but they stole the hostages’ hearts”.

So what’s going on at that time? Stockholm Syndrome, which does not have an official diagnosis and is not included in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), is still a psychological concept used to explain certain reactions and has a general acceptance.

Disconnected from the outside world, the victim first develops addiction, thinking that his life is in the hands of his captor. Then even the small favors of that person become bigger in his eyes. Later on, he starts to have positive feelings towards the aggressor, as he does not want to lose his relationship with the attacker. In fact, this relationship that the victim establishes with the aggressor is not voluntary, but a result of the violence applied. In fact, we can define this as the traumatic attachment process. This syndrome is actually based on a combination of identification and traumatic attachment, a defense mechanism first expressed by Freud. People form emotional bonds with perpetrators during intense traumatic experiences in which they are isolated. The process they are going through suddenly turns into a legitimate and correct process, and the person who tortures them turns into a person who is understood differently, even a savior. That is, he knows that he needs the person who holds him captive for his basic needs. Although the exact cause of Stockholm Syndrome is not known, according to some experts; The main motivation of this syndrome is the survival instinct.

From another point of view, learned helplessness is when a person thinks that he will fail based on past experiences, and accepts from the beginning that no matter what way he tries, he will not achieve the result. While explaining the Stockholm Syndrome, it is necessary to take a look at the learned helplessness situation. Because long-term helplessness inhibits cognitive characteristics such as decision making, healthy thinking, problem solving, planning, producing solutions, judging, struggling with negativities, and evaluation. Therefore, the person who has lost his reasoning ability accepts the situation he is in by saying that whatever I do will not be successful instead of finding solutions. After this acceptance, he digests the conditions he lives in and moves towards empathy and sympathy. After all, it opens the door to Stockholm Syndrome.

When we look at our daily lives, an acquaintance who has been subjected to physical or psychological violence for a long time may be defensive against his or her perpetrator. For example, women who are victims of domestic violence. Having been subjected to verbal, physical or psychological violence from her husband; The situation of women who live their lives under constant restriction, control and pressure but do not accept any outside intervention is considered as Stockholm Syndrome. Because these women defend those who want to help themselves with sentences such as “he beats them but loves them very much” despite the difficult situation they are in. They fall into a mentality like I will do whatever it takes for these people, whom they think they love very much, if I have to suffer, I will suffer, I will be subjected to violence.

Stockholm Syndrome is a syndrome that should be treated by psychiatry or psychology specialists. It can be overcome with psychotherapy methods such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy and EMDR therapy. Awareness about the perception of security, event memory and a healthy connection with life should be ensured after the actual mourning period.

Why Always the Same Scenario, Always the Same Ending? - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Nida DAL IDIKUT

Why Always the Same Scenario, Always the Same Ending?

The classic ending as a result of relationships: “Why do I always find people of the same type” . Look at destiny. It’s like people are changing, but what happened, the whole scenario is the same, you can’t find happiness or true love. It’s like a vicious circle… Do these people find you by chance or do you unconsciously turn to those types of people?

Of course it’s not a coincidence. There is an explanation for why we always go and write the same ending, knowing what is wrong and what we don’t want, and always making the same mistake.

Basically, we can attribute this to our early childhood stories. There is a theory in psychology called object relations. Freud, the founder of psychology, called the relationship we have with our parents as the object relationship. The relationship dynamics that we establish as adults arise from this object relationship, grow and stick. Whatever the relationship structure between mother and child or father and child is, we establish a similar or perhaps the same structure with others in our adult life.

For example, if you are with someone who does not see your achievements and ignores your feelings and thoughts, then your parents may not have appreciated you and made you feel inadequate no matter what you did in the past. In such a situation, our mind, our subconscious mind, whether we are aware of it or not, pulls us to the familiar place. Why, because we have an unclosed ledger. There are unhealed wounds. We seek our own childhood for compensation in that relationship. We want to find someone who will make us experience the same things and repair our past. We think that we will complete the missing relationship, the feeling.

In other words, the same type of people do not find us. We are just trying to treat an unhealed wound in ourselves with that person. We can’t close the wound our parents made when we were young, we want to heal that relationship. That’s why we try to heal by choosing the same relationship, even if it hurts us by going the way we know. Because that’s the love we always get. Love has known us this way.

All of these choices belong to us, of course, it’s not a coincidence. If the scenario does not change, it is always the same end even if the actors change. Remember, the mistake in the scenario may not be in the outside world, it may be a wound in our very deepest past that has not left us unwittingly. We must find it and treat it, and discover and destroy ourselves, our past, our feelings and thoughts, our object patterns in that unsuccessful and unsuccessful relationship with the support of experts.

İlişkilerin sonucunda klasikleşmiş son
Psy. Nida DAL IDIKUT

The Classic End of Relationships

The classic ending as a result of relationships: “Why do I always find the same type of people” . Look at destiny. It’s like people are changing, but what happened, the whole scenario is the same, you can’t find happiness or true love. It’s like a vicious circle. Do these people find you by chance or do you always turn to those types of people without realizing it?

Of course it’s not a coincidence. There is an explanation for why we always go and write the same ending, knowing what is wrong and what we don’t want, and always making the same mistake.

Basically, we can attribute this to our early childhood stories. There is a theory in psychology called object relations. Freud, the founder of psychology, called our relationship with our parents the object relationship. The relationship dynamics that we establish as adults arise from this object relationship, grow and stick. Whatever the relationship structure between mother and child or father and child is, we establish a similar or perhaps the same structure with others in our adult life.

For example, if you are with someone who does not see your achievements and ignores your feelings and thoughts, then your parents may not have appreciated you and made you feel inadequate no matter what you did in the past. In such a situation, our mind, our subconscious mind, whether we are aware of it or not, pulls us to the familiar place. Why, because we have an unclosed ledger. There are unhealed wounds. We seek our own childhood for compensation in that relationship. We want to find someone who will make us experience the same things and repair our past. We think that we will complete the missing relationship, the feeling.

In other words, the same type of people do not find us. We are just trying to treat an unhealed wound in ourselves with that person. We can’t close the wound our parents made when we were young, we want to heal that relationship. That’s why we try to heal by choosing the same relationship, even if it hurts us by going the way we know. Because that’s the love we always get. Love has known us this way.

All of these choices belong to us, of course, it’s not a coincidence. If the scenario does not change, it is always the same end even if the actors change. Remember, the mistake in the scenario may not be in the outside world, it may be a wound in our very deepest past that has not left us unwittingly. Finding and treating it, we must discover and destroy ourselves, our past, our feelings and thoughts, our object patterns with the support of an expert in that unsuccessful and unsuccessful relationship.

Evlilikten mi Kendimizden mi Korkar Olduk
Psy. Nida DAL IDIKUT

Are We Afraid of Marriage or of Ourselves?

According to the researches, the marriage rate in Turkey has decreased by ten percent in the last year. Years ago, when people’s biggest dreams were to get married, have a family and have children, how did we become so afraid of getting married?

Do you ever think about the courage in arranged marriages in the past? People who don’t know each other at all, don’t share anything, maybe have nothing in common… How is it that we can live a happy and peaceful life for life, but we are so afraid of going to the end with the people we choose.

We search for the right person for years. Maybe you had many loves, you were broken and sad. Then you consoled yourself saying ‘he was not the right person for me’. Maybe you haven’t experienced love yet and you said to those who asked, “I haven’t met the right person yet”. You’ve spent years thinking that there is the perfect right person out there.

That right person whom strangers call ‘The One’ is the right person we have dreamed of since our childhood… We are so afraid when it gets serious that the right person we think we have found is wrong. At the end of the day, when what we expect from a relationship is only happiness, what has become a difficult and fearful test? Is it honesty or loyalty, a good career or financial strength, or our physical traits?

So let’s get to you…

Do you have all the features you are looking for?

Have you really never lied?

Have you ever cheated?

Do you have a good career and financial strength?

What about your weight, is your height ideal?

Look at the people you call your perfect friend, mom or dad. Did it ever upset, offend, or disappoint you?

The truth is; The person you are looking for is the person you most desire to be. It’s a threat that exposes our relationship flaws.

Relationships in love are like an empty box. You can’t get back what you didn’t put in it. No one else can give us what we don’t have ourselves. The way to find the right person is to face the not-true self that we are afraid of, rather than the effort and fear of covering our own shortcomings by burdening him with the responsibility of being right, or think again. Be sure that there are equally right people, happiness and luck in the universe for all of us. Instead of being afraid to marry this person, perhaps one question is perhaps: “who is my real self and all my flaws, with his real self and flaws?”

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Psk. Nida DAL İDİKUT

DUYGU DURUM BOZUKLUKLARI
Psy. Nida DAL IDIKUT

Mood Disorders

How do our moods align with our emotions? They affect us every day. Sometimes we are sad, sad, and sometimes we are happy. We can even be sad and happy with a sudden change on the same day. Because every person’s life has its ups and downs, mostly due to external factors. In this case, it is considered natural to experience sudden emotional ups and downs in everyone’s daily routine to a certain extent. These are normal fluctuations in mood. However, if the changes in the mood of the person begin to have a significant and intense negative effect in their daily routines, work, social and family life areas, that is, if mood swings are experienced for a long time and unusually severe, we can talk about a mood disorder.

Mood Disorders Depression and its types (Major depression, Postpartum (Postpartum) Depression, Melancholic Depression, Catatonic Depression, Seasonal Depression, Dysthymic Depression) and Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depressive Disorder) and its types Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic Disorder, “ Unspecified “Bipolar Disorder”. In this article, I would like to take a look at the most curious and asked Bipolar Disorder and attack periods.

Bipolar disorder:

Bipolar (bipolar) disorder, formerly known as manic-depressive illness, is a mostly lifelong mood disorder that causes intense changes in mood, thought patterns and behaviors. These two extremes of emotions are in a continuous cycle, which includes experiencing significant fluctuations in mood, called manic and depressive episodes. A stable, continuous and balanced mood cannot be observed in these patients. Bipolar Disorder can occur in all ages and genders, although it usually appears during adolescence or early adulthood.

If we look at the eyes and sentences of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, we can give examples as follows.

Depression:

“I am very unhappy, there is a great despair inside me, it is as if I have lost my abilities, I cannot achieve anything. I am useless. I can’t enjoy anything, I don’t want to eat anything. Why am I living in this world?”

Obstacle:

“I feel great. It’s like the stars, even the sky, are brighter. I have a lot of talents, I can be busy with more than one job. I feel so strong that there is nothing in the world that I cannot overcome. Everyone is afraid of my energy and humor, but it doesn’t fit inside me. I feel like I can save the world with projects in my head.

If we look at it from a broad perspective, we can list the symptoms of these attacks as follows, on the condition that they last at least 2 weeks.

In the manic period;

Unusual joy, enthusiasm, high energy and activity, being active and creative enough in the daily routine with little sleep, increased sexual urges, excessive and unrealistic self-confidence, slurred speech, risky behaviors (excessive spending of money, alcohol, drug use) and sometimes even hallucinations.

In the depressive period;

Only desire to sleep during the day, fatigue, decrease in activity, dejected and hopeless mood, difficulty concentrating, intense feeling of guilt, decrease in appetite, withdrawal from people and social environment, introversion, suicidal thoughts and delusions.

What are the causes of mood disorder?

Mood disorders can occur due to a variety of genetic, biological, environmental and other factors.

Biological factors:

Brain areas, the amygdala is where our emotions are stored. People with mood disorders have been shown to have an enlarged amygdala in neuroimaging tests. Even if there is a chemical imbalance in one or more of the chemicals that control chemical imbalances in the brain, namely neurotransmitters, the possibility of mood disorder increases.

Genetic factors:

People with a family history of mood disorders are more likely to develop these disorders. In other words, there is a high probability that this disease will result from genetic transmission from first-degree relatives.

Environmental factors:

Stress-related life histories such as traumatic events; Exposure to emotional or sexual abuse, witnessing the death of a loved one are among the most common triggers. Depression has also been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease.

How is mood disorder treated?

Mood disorders may recur or persist. Therefore, it is important to remember that mood disorders are treatable, even if they require long-term or life-long treatment. When correct diagnosis, treatment and support by psychiatrists and psychologists are applied, people with mood disorders can live a healthy life as much as anyone else. The important thing is that the person is aware of himself and the disorder and learns to control the symptoms through psychotherapy sessions. Thus, reducing the effect of stress factors against the symptoms caused by the disorder.

Yetişkinlerin İçindeki Çocuklar: Çocuk Mod’ları
Psy. Nagihan KUTLU

Kids in Adults: Kids Mods

All of us from time to time “I acted like a child”, “I lost myself and I don’t understand how”, “when I remember it now, it was so ridiculous, how did I do it?” We have formed sentences such as: These sentences have a common feature; Emotions are quite intense and logic is quite in the background. So our kid mods! (our sides)

We don’t feel like full grown-ups when we’re in child modes. These modes arise when the person thinks that their needs are not taken into account.

To recognize the child modes in adults, let’s first remember the children around us. You know children; She jumps when she’s happy and cries when she’s sad. Therefore, they experience every emotion intensely and their logical thinking skills are lower. So what if adults act in child modes? They cannot solve problems just like a child and they feel uncomfortable emotions intensely. So by recognizing some of the child modes within adults and where they come from, we can soothe and feel better about our child parts from the healthy adult perspective.

First, let’s remember and send our minds to the past. What would you do when faced with an undesirable situation as a child? Would you cry, yell and get angry, or would you impulsively want what you wanted right away? The way we behave as children may appear as the distinctive child mode in our adult lives.

1-Injured Child Mode

The hurt child mode may emerge in adult life as a result of a childhood that has been abandoned, left out, made to feel worthless and unloved, witnessed the death of relatives, and important emotional needs such as love and trust are not met during childhood and adolescence. The mode that goes along with embarrassment, loneliness, fear, unhappiness and painful emotions as a child is the “hurt child mode”. In adult life, it is manifested by feelings of worthlessness and unloved, lack of trust, and concerns about rejection or abandonment.

How do we know when we’ve entered the hurt child mode? For example, you quickly and intensely felt worthless, insignificant, and rejected when your friend who you invited to the movies stated that they couldn’t come, and you interpreted this as being unwanted by your friend. That’s it, hurt kid mode! While in this mode, you may be tempted to misinterpret the fact that it may be your friend’s work, and misinterpret it as your own worthlessness, by failing to judge reality logically at the moment.

2-Furious Kid Mode

In the center, there are intense emotions such as anger, anger, rage. The person expresses his needs in an inappropriate and uncontrolled way. While anger is a normal emotion, it can be difficult to control anger and be rational when you’re in angry kid mode. Defeating one’s right, feeling unimportant and worthless, etc. As a result of emotions, they may lose control by reacting with intense anger.

3-Impulsive Kids Mode

In the impulsive child mode, the urge to have something or absolutely want to do something is at the forefront. When the person is in the impulsive child mode, he may have difficulty controlling himself, similar to the angry child mode, and succumb to his pleasures and desires. He does not know his limits in terms of responsibility and discipline. For example, the impulsive child in him may cause him to spend more even though he has a lot of debt.

So what are we gonna do?

You must first recognize and name the child modes within you. When you feel intense and uncomfortable emotions, ask, “What mood am I in now, what am I feeling, how is my body, where did I learn these emotions as a child?” You should watch yourself before you react by asking questions such as: Thus, you can learn to control yourself by watching yourself from behind the scenes, away from being a theater actor whose emotions are intensely experienced on stage.

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Ps. Nagihan KUTLU

Travma Beden
Psy. Nagihan KUTLU

Trauma Body

“Learning to experience and tolerate deep emotions is essential for healing from trauma” (Body Keeps Records, Bessel A. Van Der Kolk).

Trauma can be expressed as any kind of experience that harms a person’s mental and physical health. Therefore, sometimes trauma is a sudden and unexpected fear, sadness, and painful event; and sometimes it can be considered as the experiences that result from growing up with parents where emotional needs such as love and trust are not met in childhood.

So, do these traumas stay in the period and lose their effect?

Sometimes it can be thought that the traumatized person is buried and forgotten due to defense mechanisms, but it continues to affect the person by changing shape in adult life. Thus, it can continue to affect the person’s life negatively. Because our repressed trauma and negative experiences are recorded by the body.

Even though many years have passed, people who have experienced trauma have difficulty in expressing what has happened. However, their bodies keep a very fresh record of the fear, anger, and helplessness they experience, and even the smallest trigger that reminds them of the trauma, the memory can be rekindled.

When it cannot be expressed, the trauma is not processed in the brain. As a result, disturbing images return as flashbacks and nightmares. Although many years have passed since the trauma experience; Untreated trauma seizes brain activation on the first day of the event.

When traumatized people remember a negative event from the past, the right side of their brain responsible for emotions is active and alive, as if the event were happening again at that moment.

However, the left side of the brain, which is responsible for logic and reasoning skills, is rather passive. While the person feels intense and painful emotions at that moment, they are not aware of the intense emotions felt due to trauma. He may be insufficient to solve the problem he is experiencing in the present. As a result, they may feel the same intensity again in situations that remind trauma such as fear and pain in the face of the trigger.

For example, someone who had a car accident in childhood may still experience panic and fear, even if they know how to drive when they get into a car in their future life. Or someone who has been sexually abused in childhood may have problems with their sexual experience in adult life.

Because these traumas are not processed. That is, because it was not expressed and treated, it was not recorded by the brain as a memory. As a result, it persists in the present tense. Thus, any trigger (reminder) that reminds of the trauma can cause the person to re-feel the emotion they felt in the negative experience they had in the past. In untreated traumas, the body registers the threat and stress hormones are always active as danger alarms are constantly ringing in the person’s brain. Therefore, even if the trauma has been experienced in the past, it causes the person to live in constant fear and anxiety in their current life.

Sometimes people resort to negative coping methods such as drugs, alcohol, or overeating to reduce the painful experience in their current life, but this only temporarily reduces their unbearable feelings. Because as long as the emotions are suppressed, the BODY CONTINUES TO REGISTER!”

When it cannot be expressed, it stays active in the brain like the first day, even though years have passed since the trauma.

As a result of the unexpressed suppression of traumas;

disturbing images, flashbacks, nightmares,

Diseases not of physiological origin,

aches,

Sudden startle, uneasiness, restlessness,

Difficulty concentrating, sleeping

Continuing to live in your present life and body by changing shape as intense anxiety, panic and anger.

For this reason, traumas should be treated with professional support.

 

Posted by:

Ps. Nagihan KUTLU

Psikoterapinin Yardımcı Unsuru 1
Psy. Meltem GUNDUZ

Auxiliary Element of Psychotherapy: Psychological Tests

Psychological tests, which are one of the methods that we use frequently in the clinic in order to get to know the individual closely, are measurement tools that allow the evaluation of a wide range of individuals, not only in a specific area. Although they are defined in different ways today, psychological tests are basically sets of standard stimuli chosen to represent the whole in order to measure any quality of the individual. In fact, we are quite familiar with testing practices in other fields besides psychology. For example; If we have a hearing problem, when we go to the relevant physician, he will ask for some tests that measure our hearing, and as a result of the tests, we will be evaluated in an objective way. In psychology, the individual’s feelings, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are determined by asking various tests and inventories in line with the needs, based on the individual’s history of applying to the clinic. Results are an important resource for structuring the psychotherapy process.

Types of Psychological Tests

We can basically classify psychological tests in three ways.

.Ability Tests (Intelligence Tests)

.Developmental Tests

.Personality Tests

.We can evaluate neuropsychological tests as a sub-title of Aptitude Tests.

Intelligence Tests

The concept of intelligence is the capacity to think completely abstractly, to reason well, to have a critical view, as well as to act purposefully as a whole, to think logically, and to influence the people around them. Today, intelligence tests are standard measurement tools developed to evaluate a person’s current mental ability. Scoring is standard in most intelligence tests. The questions are read to the individual by a competent expert who administers the test and their answers are recorded unchanged. The tests are especially applied in the clinical setting.

Another function of intelligence tests is to detect learning difficulties and mental retardation in individuals, if any. They can also be used as part of a neuropsychological assessment.

Some of these tests that are widely used in the clinic are; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- 4th Edition (WISC-IV), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (WAIS), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, Cattel Intelligence Test, Kent EGY Intelligence Test.

Neuropsychological Tests

Neuropsychological tests serve many purposes. The most basic of these is to identify the source of the individual’s complaints. Another area of ​​use is to determine whether the brain damage is widespread or regional and/or to determine which functions are affected and to what extent.

One of these tests, which is widely used in the clinic, is the Neuropsychological Test Battery.

Developmental Tests

Developmental tests are a standardized measurement tool developed to determine the development level of children aged 0-6 years. Since the main purpose is to determine the level of development, during the evaluation phase of the test, there may be developmental delay in children, and the child’s development may be normal or advanced. After the evaluation of the test, the therapy plan is determined. The application of the test varies according to the age of the children. Sometimes it can be applied directly with the children as well as with their parents.

Among these tests, the tests that are widely used in the clinic are; Ankara Developmental Inventory, Denver, Gesell Developmental Figures Test.

Personality Tests

Personality tests are measurement tools consisting of standardized questionnaires used to accurately describe and make sense of a person’s character. Personality tests do not only include areas related to the measurement of personality traits and psychological symptoms, but also include mood, thought, behavior and motivation, interests and attitudes. It is divided into two groups as Objective and Projective.

Objective tests are self-administered tests and the measurement tool itself is objective. It was created to make a standard measurement and scoring.

Some of these tests that are widely used in the clinic are; Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Inventory (MMPI), Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Projective tests are tests that allow the individual to reflect their inner world, feelings and thoughts by showing an ambiguous stimulus. Projective tests do not have a rating, it just depends on the reflection mechanism. They are measurement tools applied by a competent specialist in a clinical setting.

Some of these tests that are widely used in the clinic are; The Rorschach Inkblot Test is a Thematic Perception Test.

The form used for children is the Thematic Perception test for Children. In addition, Drawing Tests are also used.

Posted by;

Psk. Meltem GÜNDÜZ

Boşanmanın Çocuklar Üzerindeki Etkisi
Psy. Lara BALKANER SUNGER

Effect of Divorce on Children

The process of divorce can show different psychological effects on children. The severity of these effects varies according to the age of the child, the way the child is informed about this issue, the communication within the family, the attitude of the parents, the mental state of the parents, the quality time spent with the child, and the conflicts experienced during marriage. Divorce can be a traumatic experience for children. The child may feel that he has lost the parent with whom he will no longer live. Along with these feelings, the anxiety of losing the other parent may begin. In addition, while experiencing the divorce process, psychological problems and psychiatric disorders may appear in the child. The emotional process experienced by the child may trigger disorders such as anxiety disorder, depression or tic disorder. In addition to these, adjustment disorders, developmental disorders, decrease in school success and distraction can be observed in the child.

The fact that parents do not reflect the problems on the child until the decision to divorce is clarified plays a major role in children’s ability to overcome this process with less psychological damage. It is a common situation that parents change their minds many times during marriage, break up and reconcile. When this uncertain and tense situation is reflected on the child, serious anxieties may occur in the child. Especially individuals in adolescence experience intense emotional and physical processes. This emotional and physical change and development is quite challenging for them. They are busy with issues such as finding themselves, individuation, searching for the meaning of life. While in these complex thoughts and feelings, the adolescent who receives the news of divorce may start to give a different (negative) direction to his life. At this point, it would be right to seek help from an expert.

The difficult experiences of the parents during and after the divorce are involuntarily reflected on the child. Parents are often unaware of the harm they have done to children during this time, and it may be too late when they gain the motivation to return to their lives and realize this situation.

How Should Divorce Be Explained to Children?

First of all, as parents, the decision to divorce must be made clearly. It would be right to have this conversation as parents and children in a quiet, calm home environment. Parents should plan the speech in advance and convey it in harmony. All details should be explained clearly, clearly and warmly in language appropriate for the child’s age. It should be discussed that this situation is not the fault of the child, that your love, affection and interest for him will never change, with whom and where the child will live, on which days, how and where he will see the other parent.

The child’s age and emotional maturity level are very important when talking about divorce. This situation should be explained more concretely to a 3-4 year old child. For example; “We will no longer live in the same house. You will stay with me 4 days a week and your father 3 days a week.” If there is more than one child in the family and their ages are different from each other, this conversation can be planned separately. It is of great importance to receive support from child-adolescent psychologists and psychiatrists before and after this speech. However, it is the parents who should have this conversation.

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Psk. Lara BALKANER SUNGER

ŞİZOİD KİŞİLİK BOZUKLUĞU NEDİR
Psy. Hande Su KOKCU

What is Schizoid Personality Disorder?

Schizoid personality disorder is one of three personality disorders (the others are paranoid and antisocial PD). Diagnostic criteria in the latest edition of the DSM; dislike or unwillingness to enter into close relationships, including with family members; preferring activities in which they can be alone, showing little or no interest in intimacy with another person; little or no pleasure in activities, no close friends or confidants other than immediate relatives; ignoring external praise and reproaches; it was determined as being emotionally cold and disconnected or having a monotonous affect (APA, 2013). According to ICD-10, another international diagnostic guide for schizoid PD, fantasizing, being alone, and preferring to focus on one’s inner world; It is expressed as not communicating with the outside world, especially emotionally and socially, having a limited capacity to express emotions and enjoy.

The most prominent feature is being disconnected from foreign relations, being closed, being out of touch, feeling separate or alien, everything is blurry or unreal, not feeling oneself with people or losing the meaning of life, losing interest, everything seems empty and meaningless. The inability of schizoids to participate in reciprocal give-and-take relationships is immediately recognizable. They remain quite impersonal and ‘peripheral’ in in-group interactions, seeming to be immersed in their preoccupations in their own world of meaning. It is difficult for them to even mix with others at social events. In places such as school or workplace, where they enter into compulsory relations with others, they maintain their social communication “for the sake of formality”, formally and impersonally. The way they look at themselves is: “I am a person who contradicts his environment, so I don’t need anyone.” “I am not related to anything.” Their view of the world is as follows: “Life can be difficult and damaging. One should trust no one and stay away from others so that one can protect oneself…”

Its origins are attributed to wrong parental attitudes between the ages of 1-3. The fact that the parent does not give enough time and attention to the child, does not talk to the child, does not make eye contact, does not play, does not provide services that will feed the child emotionally, such as trying to make him laugh are effective in his development. In summary, it is decisive that the parents do not show their love.

Since schizoid personality disorder can be confused with the following disorders, differential diagnosis should be made:

  • schizotypal personality disorder
  • avoidant personality disorder
  • paranoid personality disorder
  • Asperger’s syndrome
  • Autism

The prevalence of schizoid PD in the general population was found to be 3.13% according to the study conducted by Grant et al. (2004) in the USA. Hummelen, Pedersen, Wilberg, and Karterud (2015) reported that the frequency of schizoid PD was significantly higher in men than in women in a study they conducted with a clinical sample. In a study conducted with adolescents in Turkey, the prevalence rate was found to be 3.75% (Bilge and Bilge, 2019). According to DSM-5 (APA, 2013), the incidence of schizoid PD in men is slightly higher than in women, and it may cause more dysfunction in men.

People with schizoid personality disorder rarely seek a solution because their thoughts and behaviors are usually not a problem for them. However, if the person wants their problem to be solved, psychotherapy is applied for these people. These therapy methods mainly focus on issues such as coping skills, improving social interaction, communication and self-esteem. Confidence is very important in therapy. People with schizoid personality disorder have a hard time relating to other people, which is an extra challenge for therapists. Social skills training is also important as a complement to the therapy process.

Anne Olmak
Psy. Gozde Bahar KAYA

Being a Mother

Being a mother is the most special process in human life that can experience all emotions at the same time. While many women can plan this process and prepare to become a mother emotionally, motherhood is a surprise for many women. Either way, it’s full of curiosity and anxieties. Motherhood is a state of great love and concern. A life that suddenly changes, sleepless nights, breastfeeding sessions every 2-3 hours, a tiny body and a brand new life. In this process, the woman starts a new life that she does not know, and every innovation comes with uncertainties. This state of uncertainty often brings with it anxiety. At this point, expectant mothers try to cope with questions such as will I be a good enough mother, will I be able to feed my baby, will I be able to understand him. Motherhood is an emotionally charged process.

In this transition period, where the expectant mother tries to get used to her new role, social pressure is often added to this situation. “Do you have milk?” “Is this kid used to being cuddled?” “Isn’t this baby cold?” The new mother has to answer many questions such as: At this point, the woman gets the fear of being labeled as a bad mother.

A new creature is joining your life, of which you are completely unfamiliar and in need of your care. In this process, a woman learns to be a mother with her baby, just as a baby learns to connect to life. Among these intense emotions, many mothers are busy with social pressure, the process of adapting to the new role and meeting the needs of the baby; as a human being, he often forgets himself. She does not want help even though it is difficult and she tries to be self-sufficient in every situation.

Generally, women who do not receive adequate social support, have communication problems with their spouses, and have a previous history of depression are more prone to postpartum depression. In general, postpartum depression is seen in many women; but mostly undetected. The reason for this is that many mothers hesitate to seek help in this regard and feel an intense sense of guilt. She often tries to cope alone, trying to hide it.

When we look at all this, being a mother is a difficult and sensitive process, both physically and emotionally. For this reason, every new mother should not ignore their physical examinations as well as their mental examinations. It is recommended that they seek help when necessary. A mother with good physical and mental health asks, “Will I be a good enough mother?” will be able to give the best answer to the question.

It should not be forgotten that the reason why many women cannot make the decision to become a mother may lie in the anxiety of not being a good enough mother.

By Psk. Gözde Bahar KAYA

Uyku ve Zihinsel Sağlık İlişkisi İyi Bir Gece Uykusunun Önemi
Uncategorized

The Relationship between Sleep and Mental Health: The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is among the basic physiological needs of living things. The purpose of sleep is to allow the body to rest and renew its energy. Sleep has an important role for the continuation of human life in a healthy way both physically and mentally. A quality night’s sleep helps to regulate the hormonal balance that affects the metabolism and appetite physically, helps the body to renew itself and heart health, as well as to protect mental health.

Sleep is a biological process that repeats every night and consists of cycles. A full sleep cycle takes 70-120 minutes. The four stages of sleep go through cycles. The first three stages are NREM, and the fourth stage is REM sleep. In the first two stages, non-REM sleep is experienced, and in the third stage, Slow Wave Sleep, also known as Delta Sleep, is experienced and deep sleep is entered. In deep sleep, the cells undergo a self-repairing process and the body’s energy is renewed. Memory and learning functions are activated in REM sleep.

There is a complex relationship between sleep and psychology. While sleeping, there is an increase in activity in the amygdala and hippocampus regions, which perform the task of emotion regulation in the brain. With this increase in activity, mental functions and emotional stability are preserved. Poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep affect mental health and cause mood disorders. Poor quality sleep can cause psychological problems, as well as psychological problems can cause poor quality sleep. When sleep quality decreases, it becomes difficult to manage psychological problems. In the literature, the most common psychological problems as a result of poor quality sleep are known as depression and anxiety. In addition, poor quality sleep affects the treatment negatively in individuals receiving psychological treatment.

A quality sleep makes the person feel energetic and ready for the day. When sleep quality is poor, inattention, perception and memory problems, emotional lability, hallucinations and delusions, and excessive stress can be experienced. Accordingly, the social life, working life, physical and mental health of individuals can be affected. According to the theory of brain plasticity, the purpose of sleep is to help neurons reorganize. According to the researches, unnecessary information is deleted during the sleep process, thus contributing to memory. In addition, short-term memories are transformed into long-term memories. It is known that when you are very tired, it becomes difficult to remember things. This is due to the lack of adequate quality sleep. A good night’s sleep not only helps the body rest, but also helps organize and store memories in the brain. Quality sleep is essential for storing newly learned information. Quality and regular sleep helps memory work better.

A good night’s sleep lowers blood pressure, protects heart health, and reduces stress by creating a state of relaxation that helps to stay calm. When the human body cannot rest enough, it can produce high levels of stress hormones as a result of the fast pace of daily life. A quality sleep prevents this. In addition, the increased stress hormone makes it difficult to fall asleep. For this reason, regular quality sleep helps to stay away from stress, and a stress-free life increases sleep quality.

Quality sleep is essential for maintaining mental health. Physical activity, diet, sleep environment and stress level play an important role for quality sleep. Regular exercise during the day has a significant effect on sleep quality. Nutrition and sleep are highly interrelated. Not consuming sugary and processed foods before bedtime and avoiding excessive caffeine consumption increase sleep quality. Like physical activity and diet, the sleep environment is also very important for good sleep. Sleeping and waking up at the same time every day, regulating the sleep time and sleep environment improves sleep quality. It is necessary to stop using electronic devices before going to sleep. The use of electronic devices causes the brain to become active and the mind to rejuvenate, reducing the amount of melatonin and prolonging the time to fall asleep. The hormone melatonin regulates the body’s biological clock. In order for the melatonin hormone to be secreted, a dark environment must be provided. Stress level is also known to affect sleep quality. When the stress level is high, the state of arousal increases and it becomes difficult to fall asleep. This can cause sleep disorders. The emergence of emotions and negative thoughts experienced during the day at the time of sleep affects the quality of sleep negatively. When such situations occur, a mental health professional should be consulted.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Elmas ESER BAYSAL

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Fear, anxiety, stress and tension are emotions that everyone experiences. Fear is a normal reaction to the threat of danger. Fear has the function of warning and protecting us in real danger. Sometimes fears can also be present in safe situations. Fear is of no use in this situation. When these fears are intense and prolonged, they can be disturbing.

A person may be disturbed not only by the feelings of fear, but also by the (physical) symptoms that occur with this fear. In addition, people with fear complaints worry about a thousand and one things that could happen to them, even though they have no reason.

Excessive/irrational worries and delusions are often seen in daily matters such as economic situation, possible work obligations, health problems, events that children may experience, housework, repairs, not being able to make appointments. They worry about a thousand and one issues when there is no reason for it.

For example, about the health of his wife and children, although they are all healthy; about house bark while their house is good and affordable; they may be worried.

People avoid various situations because they lose their self-confidence and become exhausted due to these fears and anxieties.

Generalized anxiety disorder is when the fear complaints and physical symptoms are present almost continuously for more than six months and interfere with daily life or cause discomfort, worrying for no apparent reason.

Anxiety Anxiety Symptoms

The most important symptom of generalized anxiety disorder is constant fear and excitement for no apparent reason. People cannot stop worrying. They cannot control it. Sometimes they worry because they think they will at least be prepared for the worst and will be able to deal with their problems better in the future. Still others worry about going crazy. Many people with generalized anxiety disorder avoid situations and environments that amplify their anxiety. For example, in order to avoid worrying about the spouse coming home, the patient often calls the office to find out where their spouse is and what time they will be home.

Generalized anxiety disorder is often accompanied by some somatic symptoms that appear as if there is a physical illness. These symptoms are physical complaints such as unexplained fatigue, headache and muscle aches, difficulty in swallowing, dry mouth, tremors and twitches, sweating, intolerance, nausea, drowsiness, and hot flashes. Although complaints are present every day, not every patient is equally bothered every day. The severity of the fears can vary. Sometimes this happens for no apparent reason. It is also possible for complaints to worsen in stressful life experiences or improve when distracted.

Anxiety Effects of Anxiety

Having this anxiety disorder in a person has very negative effects not only for the person himself, but also for his spouse and family members. People with this disorder have worse functions at home and at work than those of healthy people because of their fear complaints. Due to this disease, it is often seen that there are tensions in relationships. This may be the case, for example, if the patient wants to be comforted all the time because otherwise he is constantly worrying. If the patient constantly calls to find out where the family member is and what time he will come home, his wife or children may feel as if they are constantly being controlled. Sometimes a person is sick because he can no longer do his job. This may be because, for example, he is exhausted due to sleep disturbance and too much worry. Since many physical symptoms can occur in generalized anxiety disorder, a possible physical cause is suspected and the person in question applies for examination. Since the person feels unhealthy from others, he or she also benefits more from health care services. In some cases, before a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder is made, the person is referred to various medical professionals for their complaints. These may be, for example, a cardiologist, internist, neurologist or ENT specialist. No explanation can be found for physical complaints by these experts. As these patients may be seen as “whiny” because they are worried about many issues, others do not talk to them and this creates a social isolation.

Anxiety Treatment

Generalized anxiety disorder can be treated well. Depending on the symptoms and the severity of the disease, treatment consists of cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, or a combination of both. The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to cope with worrying behavior and learn to change negative thoughts. Apart from this, a person can learn to actively relax and overcome avoidance in everyday situations and environments. Treatment reduces fear, physical complaints, worry, and avoidance behavior.

Sosyal Fobi Nedir
Psy. Elmas ESER BAYSAL

What is Social Phobia?

Social phobia, also known as Social Anxiety Disorder, is a type of anxiety disorder in which a person has an extreme fear of social situations. This fear stems from the fear of being criticized, watched, and judged by others. Social phobia comes in two forms. The common type is common if the fears involve many social situations, and the uncommon type if they only involve certain situations (eg signing in front of others, attending a birthday, speaking in a large group).

People who have to speak about someone in public can get really excited and feel these bodily symptoms before speaking. Sometimes the fear can turn into a panic attack. In such a situation, such fears have the opposite effect and many social situations are thus avoided.

Daily life is also badly affected. When these types of fears turn into a recurring pattern, social phobia exists.

Social Phobia Symptoms

When it comes to social phobia, people avoid such environments because they are afraid of being in social environments. Although they are generally aware that the fear is unfounded, the fears persist. Examples of this are the following situations:

  • chat with someone
  • attend birthdays
  • Drinking coffee in a group
  • Eating with others at a restaurant
  • Giving a public speech
  • Working while someone is standing next to you
  • be the focus of attention
  • Express your opinion in the group

When they know that they are going to enter the (social) environment they fear, they often become very frightened even beforehand. They try to avoid such environments by using various excuses. When they cannot escape, they pass through such environments with intense fear. The complaints are so severe that they negatively affect daily life.

In addition, as in other anxiety disorders, physical symptoms are encountered in social phobia. Physical anxiety symptoms such as flushing, trembling, sweating, and sometimes even panic attacks are common.

Patients with social phobia are particularly afraid of criticism from others or being ridiculed in social situations. They think very negatively about themselves. For example, they may fear that they will be thought of as lying when they blush, or that they will be thought of as an alcoholic when they tremble.

Symptoms of social phobia in brief

  • Intense anxiety to social situations
  • avoiding social situations
  • Symptoms of anxiety such as confusion, palpitations, sweating, tremors, flushing, muscle tension, heartburn, and diarrhea

Social Phobia Effects

Since social fear and avoidance can be experienced from an early age, the presence of social phobia affects the development of the person. It is often seen that the functions of the patients at school, work, social life and even at home are seriously disrupted. For this reason, many patients with social phobia have not completed their education or work in a job with a lower education level. Patients with social phobia can be very lonely. They no longer dare to go to their birthdays, invite anyone, attend courses or do team sports. It is also known that those with social phobia have a higher celibacy rate, leave their parents later, and have sexual problems more frequently than others. However, living as well as possible with these complaints requires more energy. This can lead to stress and exhaustion.

Social Phobia Treatment

Treatment of social phobia has a positive effect on most patients; that is, fear and avoidance behavior decrease. Depending on the symptoms and severity of the disorder, treatment consists of cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy applied by our psychologist is an effective therapy for social phobia. Depending on the patient’s problems, a treatment package can be created:

Discussing fearful thoughts

A person with social phobia has unrealistic thoughts (cognitions). For example: “They will think I am a thief because I blush”. The patient is asked to question these unrealistic thoughts (“To what extent do you know that when you blush during a conversation, the person you are talking to thinks you are lying?”).

In this way, the idea that blushing is weird becomes a matter of debate, as the patient explores what most people think about blushing. Maybe he doesn’t find it strange when someone else’s face turns red, and he imposes more severe conditions on himself than others.

If the patient does not find other people’s blushing strange, he or she may eventually get a more realistic and less frightening thought instead (“Frying my face during an interview can mean a lot to the other person. Maybe it’s not even noticeable at times. I can even make a joke about it. How though it takes a short time and goes away on its own.”)

Exercise program

Such an exercise program is called “exposure in vivo,” and it means exposure to the fearful situation. Patients learn to cope with the situation they fear with steps that start from easy and gradually get harder. This treatment method consists of the principle that if the patient does not escape from the feared situation, the fear decreases.

“Focus on homework” exercise

It has been determined that people with social phobia focus their attention on themselves rather than the person in front of them or what is happening around them in social environments. In this exercise, the patient learns to focus his attention on his surroundings with increasingly difficult exercises.

Aile içi şiddet
Psy. Elmas ESER BAYSAL

Domestic Violence

Are you being beaten? Are you scolded? Are you being banned? Are you bothered by your ex? Are you being forced into sexual intercourse or having your money extorted from you? Is your fiancee, spouse, ex-spouse, one of your children, or one of your family or friends responsible for all of this? Then you are exposed to domestic/family violence. Maybe you find yourself guilty and feel insecure and ashamed because it happened to you. However, domestic/family violence should not be and is prohibited. Violence is a crime.

What is Domestic Violence?

What is domestic violence and how is it defined? Those who commit domestic violence usually have the following symptoms.

If he (no matter if male or female),

  • If you are very jealous,
  • If he acts aggressively at first and then sensitively,
  • If he sees you as his property,
  • If he breaks many things at home,
  • If he keeps saying “I won’t do it again, this is the end”
  • If he beats you or says “I’ll beat you now”
  • If he is forcing you to do things you don’t want, this includes forced sexual intercourse,
  • humiliates or humiliates you in front of others,
  • If he’s pressuring you to get your money,
  • If he constantly says “I’m the boss at home” or “whatever I say here”,
  • If he constantly wants to know where you are…

By domestic violence, we understand violence against partners, children and the elderly. Violence can consist of physical violence, sexual abuse and psychological breakdown (threatening, harassing, harassing, financially exploiting). Perpetrators of violence can be partners, ex-partners, family members, relatives and friends who share the same house. The same can be said not only between opposite sexes, but also in same-sex relationships.

Violence occurs everywhere; at home, at work or in public places. All cultures have violence. Domestic violence occurs in every age group, in all classes, among people from occupational groups, at every income level, in villages and cities.

Some of the Types of Violence in Domestic Violence:

Physical violence: Slapping, kicking, laying on the ground and stomping on it, dragging it by the hair, throwing it down the stairs, pouring boiling oil or water on it, etc.

Sexual violence: Forced sexual intercourse, rape, forcibly inserting hard foreign instruments into the woman’s genitals, cutting off her nipples, circumcising the female genitalia, having abortion before she is born when it is learned that the baby in the womb is a girl, kidnapping a girl, forcing her to look at the sexual intercourse performed by others, etc.

Emotional violence: Threatening, humiliating, insulting, confiscating the victim’s own money, destroying or taking away personal documents such as passports or identity cards, deprivation of social life by incarceration, prohibition of telephone. Threatening you and children, destroying valuables, threatening suicide. In addition, humiliating and subordinating the person for unfounded reasons (for example: “You stink”, “you are a thief”), etc.

The combination of the forms of violence that we have gathered under the three headings above is also frequently encountered. All forms of violence are dangerous and victims of violence often leave behind a scar.

Generally, men are the parties who use violence, women and children are the parties who are exposed to violence. However, women can also be victims of violence, just as men can be victims. Research shows that most of the women who are exposed to violence already know the aggressor. Attacker; It could be a friend, a family member (spouse, father-in-law), an acquaintance, neighbor or boss. However, this should not preclude asking for help or making a complaint to the police.

There are many prejudices about violence against women. Unfortunately, these prejudices affect women’s perspectives on violence and their perspectives on themselves.

Common prejudices:

  • “Women want violence themselves”

No one deserves to be abused or raped. Regardless of the way a woman dresses, looks, what her occupation is, how old she is, or where she goes, these damaging and brutal crimes are always committed.

  • “Because men cannot control their sexual desires, they use sexual violence and turn to rape”

If men want, no matter how strong their sexual desires are, they can still keep their sexual desires under control. No desire gives the right to inflict violence on another. Violence does not arise from sexual desires, but often from the desire to control, manipulate, hurt, and humiliate. Most sexual violence occurs not because the person loses control, but because they do it intentionally.

  • “It is acceptable for a man to use violence to keep his family under control”

A man is a normal member of the family. Violence for any reason is unacceptable. Disputes should be resolved through conversation, not violence.

  • “Every family has a problem; this is my destiny, this is how God wants it; That’s what it says in the Qur’an”

You do not suffer violence because of accidental family or destiny. The fact that a woman or a man is a victim of violence is not written anywhere in the Qur’an, and Allah would never want such a thing. Nowhere in the Qur’a it is written that violence can be applied to women, on the contrary, it writes that “a woman should be treated like a very valuable glass that will be broken immediately”.

Effects of Domestic Violence:

Violence; It leaves a huge impact on people. It leaves the exposed people feeling hurt and humiliated. Victims may also experience a sense of bewilderment. Everyone can react differently as a result of violence.

  • The victim feels guilty on the contrary, instead of blaming the aggressor. For example, he thinks, “If I hadn’t done this…he wouldn’t have used violence against me…!”. But no one has the right to inflict violence on another person. The aggressor is always to blame.
  • Some women are ashamed that something like this has happened to them.
  • Again, some women are afraid of the possibility of being exposed to violence again after this violence, going out on the street, being touched, and men.
  • Victims may complain of terrible dreams at night, insomnia, loss of appetite, and they may also feel dirty and sick.

Treatment of Domestic Violence

If you are also exposed to domestic/family violence, it is certainly not an easy thing to share with others. But solving this problem on your own can be very difficult. You may be afraid or embarrassed to talk to someone, perhaps you think you are responsible for this situation. However, you should try to cast off that fear and share it and talk to someone else. This person; It may be someone from your family that you can trust, or someone from your close circle that you believe can understand and listen to you.

You can also get help from a counselor. Talking will help you relax and review what you can do. Deciding what to do is very important, but also very difficult. It may be helpful to talk to a person who has been specially trained on this subject at a theoretical and practical level. This counselor/psychologist will help you understand the possibilities you have.

If your spouse or friend is engaging in aggressive behavior, you can motivate him or her to therapy to change their behavior. It was observed by women that there were changes in the aggressive behavior of the people who participated in these therapies.

At the same time, you can go into therapy together and say “stop” to this violence with your partner.

You should not see violence as a normal situation and you should never accept it. Being dependent on children or financially does not mean that something cannot be done. You can take steps now to stop the violence.

Othello Sendromu
Psy. Elif CALISKAN

Othello Syndrome

In the play “Othello”, written in 1603 by the English poet and playwright William Shakespare, the story of Othello, who thinks he has been cheated on by his wife and is jealous, is told (Shakespeare, 2008). The name “Othello Syndrome” started to be heard with an article published in 1955 (Todd and Dewhurst, 1955).

Othello Syndrome is not a directly specified disorder in the DSM-5 diagnosis group. However, in the literature studies, it is defined as a psychotic disorder associated with jealousy (Kataoka & Sugie, 2018; Yusim et al, 2008).

While jealousy is seen as a complex emotion that most people experience at some point in their life, pathological jealousy is considered to be an irrational state from a psychological point of view. Although the individual knows that he is in the illusion of jealousy, he thinks and suspects that he is being deceived by the other individual (Cipriani, Vedovello, Nuti, & Di Fiorino, 2012). From a pathological point of view, jealousy is expressed as “a reaction against the unconscious threat to one’s self-esteem” (Tezcan & Ülkeroğlu, 1995; cited in Hança, 2022). Individuals with Othello syndrome appear to have a rival delusion. Accordingly, he accuses his partner of infidelity even if the person does not have proof of the existence of such a rival, and may find the evidence shown by his partner unreasonable (Kingham & Gordon, 2004).

Considering the prevalence of Othello syndrome between genders, it is thought that it is more common in men than in women (Enoch and Ball, 2013). Although there is no clear data on the incidence of Othello syndrome, individuals with 20 cases of pathological jealousy were examined in California (Silva et al, 1998). According to this study, it was observed that the mean age of onset of pathological jealousy was 28 (Silva et al, 1998). The fact that the study was conducted with a small number of cases suggests that studies on the incidence of Othello syndrome and the age of onset should be repeated.

Othello syndrome is thought to occur frequently in the context of medical, neurological and psychiatric disorders in the individual (Cipriani, Vedovello, Nuti, & Di Fiorino, 2012). Considering the cases in the literature, it is stated that the biological basis of at least 30% of jealousy in individuals cannot be understood. However, these cases are thought to have a neurological basis for their pathological jealousy (Cipriani, Vedovello, Nuti, & Di Fiorino, 2012). It is stated that Othello syndrome is more likely to be seen together with borderline and paranoid personality disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, economic depression, low self-esteem, severe incompatibility within the family, and sexual dysfunctions (Kingham and Gordon, 2004).

Othello syndrome can be treated with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy methods. In case of substance abuse accompanying Othello syndrome, substance abuse treatment is recommended first (Kingham & Gordon, 2004). In addition, Othello syndrome treatment plan is provided with cognitive behavioral therapy, couple therapy and dynamic psychotherapy methods (Kingham & Gordon, 2004). In addition, treatment with antipsychotic drugs (Mooney, 1965; Byrne & Yatham, 1989) for delusions of deception accompanying Othello syndrome and antidepressants for obsessive thoughts (Lane, 1990; Gross, 1991; Stein et al. 1994). plan can be supported.

Source

  • Byrne, A. and Yatham, L. N. (1989). Pimozide in pathological jealousy. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 249-251. doi: 10.1192/bjp.155.2.249
  • Cipriani, G., Vedovello, M., Nuti, A., and Di Fiorino, A. (2012). Dangerous passion: Othello syndrome and dementia. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 66, 467-473.
  • Enoch, M. D. and Ball, N. B. (2013). Interesting psychiatric syndromes. Reading Us.
  • Gross, M. D. (1991). Treatment of pathological jealousy by fluoxetine. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 683–684. doi: 10.1176/ajp.148.5.683b
  • Hança, B. B. (2022). Othello Syndrome in Folk Songs. Folklore/Literature, 28(110), 269-289.
  • Kataoka, H. and Sugie, K. (2018). Delusional jealousy (Othello syndrome) in 67 patients with Parkinson’s disease. Frontiers in Neurology, 9, 129.
  • Kingham, M. and Gordon, H. (2004). Aspects of morbid jealousy. Advances in Psychiatric treatment, 10(3), 207-215.
  • Lane, R. D. (1990). Successful fluoxetine treatment of pathologic jealousy. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 51(8), 345-346.
  • Mooney, H. B. (1965). Pathologic jealousy and psychochemotherapy. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 1023-1042. doi: 10.1192/bjp.111.480.1023
  • Shakespeare, W. (2008). othello İşbank Cultural Publications-Hasan Ali Yücel Classics Series.
  • Silva, A. J., Ferrari, M. M., Leong, G. B., and Penny, G. (1998). The dangerousness of persons with delusional jealousy. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 26(4), 607-623.
  • Stein, D. J., Hollander, E., and Josephson, S. C. (1994). Serotonin reuptake blockers for the treatment of obsessional jealousy. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 55(1), 30–33.
  • Todd, J. and Dewhurst, K. (1955). The Othello syndrome: a study in the psychopathology of sexual jealousy. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 122(4), 367-374.
  • Yusim, A., Anbarasan, D., Bernstein, C., Boksay, I., Dulchin, M., Lindenmayer, J. P. … Sadock, B. (2008). Normal pressure hydrocephalus presenting as Othello syndrome: case presentation and review of the literature. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(9), 1119-1125.
Nomofobi nedir? Nomofobi Tedavisi Nasıldır?
Psy. Elif CALISKAN

What is nomophobia? How Is Nomophobia Treated?

In recent years, thanks to technology, people can easily access all kinds of information. Depending on this situation, it is seen that individuals can do all their work very quickly and easily via telephone and internet. Individuals think that their work will be disrupted when they are away from the phone or the internet, there are feelings that they cannot stay away from the phone, and there are fears that they will not be able to communicate with anyone and be online when they are away (Türen, Erdem, & Kalkın, 2017; Polat, 2017). Nomophobia, known as fears of mobile phone deprivation, is evaluated within the framework of specific phobia criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2014).

Psychological factors such as low self-esteem and extroverted personality can also trigger excessive use of mobile phones. Similarly, it is seen that psychological disorders such as social anxiety and panic disorder can increase the symptoms of nomophobia. Therefore, it can be difficult to distinguish whether nomophobia symptoms are caused by anxiety symptoms or technology addiction in individuals. Anxiety, respiratory changes, tremor, sweating, agitation and tachycardia are seen as symptoms of nomophobia. It is thought that excluding nomophobia symptoms will have an important place in diagnosing other disorders in individuals (Bhattacharya, Bashar, Srivastana, & Singh, 2019).

Recently, studies have been carried out on the prevalence of nomophobia and its distribution by gender. According to a study, it was seen that men can show more nomophobia symptoms than women, and 53% of individuals stated that they felt uneasy when they lost their phone, did not pick up the phone, and when their phone was discharged (Bahi & Deluliis, 2015). It is also seen in studies that the rates of nomophobia symptoms in gender may differ from each other. (SecurEnvoy, 2012; Türen, Erdem, & Kalkın, 2017). It has been concluded that nomophobia symptoms are seen more in women than men and the age group with the highest nomophobia symptoms is the 18-24 age group (SecurEnvoy, 2012).

The incidence of nomophobia symptoms is quite common in Turkey and it is more common in women than men (Türen, Erdem, & Kalkın, 2017)

Nomophobia can trigger negative situations on people and negatively affect the daily lives of individuals. It is seen that it causes negative emotions and behaviors of individuals, negative effects of radiation, traffic accidents, economic problems and social isolation (Bragazzi & Del Puente, 2014).

Especially school-age children’s academic achievement and school life may be negatively affected (Adnan & Gezgin, 2016; Erdem, Kalkın, Türen & Deniz; 2016).

Individuals with nomophobia symptoms can create risk factors in traffic. At the same time, nomophobia symptoms can affect individuals’ physical health negatively as well as trigger psychological disorders. It is stated that nomophobia symptoms can cause depression and anxiety disorders and insomnia, as well as directly increase stress (Bekaroğlu and Yılmaz, 2020).

Nomophobia can lead to problems such as intense anxiety, interpersonal communication and performance in daily life. Therefore, considering these existing problems, it is important to diagnose and treat with psychotherapy and medication (Çiçek, 2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy and existential therapy are thought to be effective on nomophobia symptoms (Bekaroğlu & Yılmaz, 2020). It is seen that cognitive behavioral therapy has positive effects in the treatment of Internet addiction (Young, 2011). If internet addiction is basically associated with mobile phone addiction and it is thought that people diagnosed with internet addiction will also show nomophobia symptoms, it is thought that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in the treatment of nomophobia (Bekaroğlu & Yılmaz, 2020). While it is seen that cognitive behavioral therapy is similarly effective in specific phobias (Straube et al, 2006), cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective because nomophobia is also included in specific phobias (Bekaroğlu & Yılmaz, 2020). With cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive interventions are performed by focusing on the thoughts that cause nomophobia in the treatment process and by focusing on the existing cognitive distortions and the effects on the person. At the same time, the treatment process can be planned by making behavioral interventions by exposing them to the situation they fear (Bekaroğlu and Yılmaz, 2020).

It is thought that existential therapy may also be effective in the treatment of nomophobia. In nomophobia, it is stated that the fear or anxiety that occurs as a result of the effort to establish a relationship with the social environment and mobile phone can be studied with existential therapy techniques (Tarsha, 2016). Considering that the fears of feeling isolated and not being able to connect have an important place in existential therapy, the existence of similar fears in nomophobia shows that these fears can be studied with an existential approach (Bekaroğlu & Yılmaz, 2020).

Another therapy that is thought to be effective in the treatment of nomophobia is purposeful group therapies with the participation of at least two people. In this therapy, the group members bring the problems with the nomophobia they experience and create awareness for the other group members. In group therapies, the therapy process is carried out by acting in line with both the individual’s own purpose and the purpose of the group (Koydemir, 2016; cited in Günlü & Uz-Baş, 2020).

Source

  • Adnan, M. and Gezgin, D. M. (2016). A Modern Phobia: Prevalence of Nomophobia among College Students . Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences (JFES), 49, 141-158 . doi: 10.1501/Egifak_0000001378
  • American Psychiatric Association (APA), (2014). DSM-5 diagnostic criteria reference manual (Translation Ed. E Köroğlu). Ankara, Physicians Publication Union.
  • Bahi, R.R. and Deluliis, D. (2015). Nomophobia, Yan, Z. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior, IGI Global, Hershey, PA.
  • Bekaroğlu, E. T. and Yılmaz, T. (2020). Nomophobia: differential diagnosis and treatment. Current Approaches in Psychiatry, 12, 131-142. doi: 10.18863/pgy.528897
  • Bhattacharya, S., Bashar, M. A., Srivastava, A., and Singh, A. (2019). Nomophobia: No mobile phone phobia. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8, 1297. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_71_19
  • Bragazzi, N. L. and Del Puente, G. (2014). A proposal for including nomophobia in the new DSM-V. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 7, 155-160. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S41386
  • Cicek, B. (2020). The effect of self-regulation on nomophobia. Bitlis Eren University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Journal of Academic Projection, 5(2), 89-101.
  • Erdem, H., Kalkın, G., Türen, U. and Deniz, M. (2016). The effect of fear of mobile phone deprivation (nomophobia) on academic achievement in university students. Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Journal, 21(3), 923-936.
  • Günlü, A. and Uz-Bas, A. (2020). Nomophobia in the context of the extended theory of the self. Journal of Human and Social Sciences Research, 9, 3853-3873. doi: 10.15869/itobiad.778313
  • Polat, R. (2017). Nomophobia as a digital disease. Electronic Journal of New Media, 1, 164-172. doi: 10.17932/IAU.EJNM.25480200.2017.1/2.164-172
  • SecurEnvoy (A Shearwater Group plc Company). (2012). 66% of the population suffer from Nomophobia the fear of being without their phone. https://securenvoy.com/blog/66-population-suffer-nomophobia-fear-being-without-their-phone-2/
  • Straube, T., Glauer, M., Dilger, S., Mentzel, H. J., and Miltner, W. H. (2006). Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on brain activation in specific phobia. Neuroimage, 29, 125-135. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.07.007
  • Tarsha, A. A. (2016). The role of existential therapy in the prevention of social media-driven anxiety. Existential Analysis, 27(2), 382-389.
  • Türen, U., Erdem, H., and Kalkın, G. (2017). The prevalence of fear of mobile phone deprivation (nomophobia): A sample of university students and public employees from Turkey. Journal of Information Technologies, 10(1), 1-12.
  • Young, K. S. (2011). CBT-IA: The first treatment model for internet addiction. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 25, 304-312. doi: 10.1891/0889-8391.25.4.304
Eating Problem in Children - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Ekin EREN TOKSOY

Eating Problem in Children

It is common for parents who complain that their children do not eat enough or less. Phrases such as “My child is playing with food instead of eating”, “My child eats his food very slowly”, “He refuses to come to the table at meal time”, “He says he is not hungry all the time, but I know he is hungry” are constantly heard from parents.

First of all, there are a few points that need to be clarified in this regard. Especially if your child is a preschool age, it may be very difficult for your child to sit and wait in one place for a long time. Because at this age, it is expected that children are more impatient, active, and more busy with other events and stimuli around them. For this reason, your child may prefer talking, playing with food or objects on the table, rather than eating.

In addition, at certain ages and times, your child may like some flavors and not others. This situation can be surprisingly different. Parents’ concerns about the amount of food their children eat arise from their unrealistic assumptions about the amount and type of food they think their children should eat. If your child eats a variety of foods, there is no harm in not eating a food he does not like.

Appetite in Children

Development, weight gain and appetite change from day to day in children. Therefore, at certain ages, your child may need less calorie intake. In particular, we can see that children between the ages of 1 and 5 generally spend a period of 3-4 months without gaining any weight.

Children’s refusal to eat can also be seen as a declaration of independence behavior. In such situations, your child’s insistence on not eating by using phrases such as “I don’t want” or “I hate meatballs” may be a behavior that he/she does to prove that he/she is independent and to show that he/she exists as a separate individual. The important thing is not to consider such behaviors as “obstinacy” and not to turn this situation into a war.

In such situations, parents may talk to their children in a threatening tone, force their children to eat, or punish them, along with their anxiety. These behaviors can play a bad role in your child’s emotional and mental development. In particular, families’ use of rewards such as “If you don’t eat, you can’t eat dessert” can have an unhealthy result, such as reinforcing children’s continuous sweet eating habits. For this reason, as parents, such incentives should be avoided.

In addition, sentences such as “If you eat this, you will be huge” used by parents to encourage children to eat are far from realism. You should consider that your child is not deceived by such sentences and therefore will not change your child’s eating behavior.

To increase your child’s eating habits;

  • Determine meal times, especially morning, noon, and evening, and make those times routine.
  • At mealtimes, put a reasonable amount of food on your child’s plate. If your child eats all the food in front of him, ask him if he wants some more.
  • It would be good to determine certain rules to be applied during the meal: Not to talk while there is food in your mouth, not to eat in front of the TV, not to get up from the table until the meal is finished.
  • Set a certain time for the meal, (25-30 minutes) and indicate that the table will be removed when this time is over.
  • Limit snacking between meals. So he will eat when he is hungry.
  • During the meal, offer a variety of healthy food options and leave your child free to eat whatever they want from the table.
  • As a parent, try to set a good example for your child in eating habits. Avoid junk food, avoid complaining about various meals in front of your child, eat healthy foods. Remember that your child will imitate your eating behaviors as well as your every behavior.
  • Make eating enjoyable. Don’t force your child to eat a food they don’t like. Provide him with a comfortable dining environment.
  • If your child is a preschooler, involve them in activities such as shopping, choosing food and cooking. In this way, you will be informed about your child’s food taste.
  • Let your child have control over his own eating behavior. So you will see that meal times are no longer a battle.

Remember that as your child grows, his appetite and sense of taste will change. Along with this, you will see that your eating habits are also regulated.

The Suffering of Love - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Ekin EREN TOKSOY

The Suffering of Love

Emotional suffering; Although it is not a visible and tangible factor, it can be described as the emotional state that is experienced, that causes serious discomfort to the individual, and that the person has difficulty in describing. When describing this feeling, the person mostly tells it through his/her body. That is, “it’s such a pain…” it burns me; “my heart aches”; This emotional state is tried to be expressed with expressions such as “I’m bleeding” and so on. These are expressions that do not have a concrete place in our minds, but everyone understands what that “painful” state is, one way or another, since they have experienced similar events at least once in their life.

One of the situations in which we experience this state of anguish is “LOVE”. Of course, philosophers, academics and those working in the field have defined love differently. When we look at all of these definitions, we can say that, in summary, love is the desire (passion) felt to be with “that person” that we “idealize” excessively in our minds. After this passion, the feeling of emptiness and anguish experienced in the absence or loss of the person who is the target of love is the emotional state that constitutes the subject of this article.

Why is the pain of love felt?

Desiring excessively for what we don’t have and not considering the possibility of not having it at all results in us feeling bitter when things don’t turn out the way we want, no matter what. If we evaluate it over the definition of love we have made above, we feel the same anguish when we are unable to be with that person whom we idealize in our minds and whom we say “cannot be like him”, or not being able to be with the desired form, or losing. The “passion for being together”, which is the definition of love, already includes a possible sense of anguish. We can say that suffering is in the nature of love if the scenario does not turn out as desired.

Will the pain of love go away? how does it go?

Like so many things in life, love has billed you with a sense of pain because you didn’t consider the different possibilities. Remember, you called this feeling, so it will accompany you for a while. If you host your guest calmly, you will not turn the agony you are already in into an even more painful process. In classical terms, this pain will pass like any pain. Give time to the pain and to yourself. Stay away from photos that will remind you of the memories of the person you love over and over, and social networking sites where you can follow them. Try to concentrate on your life, try to focus on your daily work, social life, work life if any. Remember that your development process in life has not yet ended, so everything you have done in the past and planned to do in the future, that you want, that you dream of, still remains. Remember that the feeling of suffering you experience will fade away.

Advice for Those with Dental Chair Phobia - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Eda GOKPINAR

Advice for Those with Dental Chair Phobia

Fear of the dentist or dental health services is one of the important health problems seen in society. This is a very distressing situation for both the health worker and the person. Because the fear experienced causes the person to never go to the dentist despite having problems in oral and dental health, or not to go to the dentist regularly even if he does.

People who disrupt their oral and dental health treatment due to the dentist or other fears may face an unhealthy mouth, bad odor and various heart diseases.

Cooperation between psychiatrist-psychologist-dentist is very important in overcoming the fear of dentist. All irrational fears of blood, injury, needles and other similar medical procedures are evaluated under the heading of blood – injury phobia in the DSM IV. However, as blood-injury phobia is popularly known as bloodstain, the fear of dentist and treatment is a very different situation from the title mentioned.

Why Fear the Dentist?

The person’s past experiences with the dentist greatly affect this fear. Fear of the dentist usually occurs after a person has had a painful treatment. In addition, it is known that the approach of the dentist to the person who comes to receive treatment is also effective in the fear of treatment. Apart from the fact that the person’s own experiences cause this fear, the negative experiences that he/she hears or observes indirectly from another person will also expose the person to this negative learning. Fear of the dentist does not develop only because of the dentist, painful treatment, learned or indirect experiences. The person may also be adversely affected by the white coat, the smell of medicine or the places where there is a medical practice.

The person may be afraid of working with an organ that he cannot observe during the treatment, because he does not know what many tools do and cannot control. Although oral sedation is provided to keep the person awake during dental intervention, it is a very worrying process.

The Dentist’s Important Role in Overcoming Fear of Tooth Extraction

The physician should reassure the individual who comes for treatment, share the treatment in details, share that he will not feel any pain and that no action will be taken until he is sure enough about the numbness. In the treatment room, there may be a visual broadcast or soothing background music to distract the person. If the dentist often gives information about the stages of the application during the intervention, it will help the patient to relax. The patient’s clear sharing of fears and anxieties with the dentist will lead to cooperation in treatment, and a treatment that is free from anxiety or fears will be provided.

Source: Sizsize.milliyet.com.tr/Sağlık/Dis_Koltugu_Fobisi_Olanlara_Tavsiyeler/HaberDetay/11748

romantik İlişkilerde Sabotaj Nedir
Psy. Cagla APAYDIN

What is Sabotage in Romantic Relationships?

You’ve been seeing someone new for a while. Your communication is great, you have a great time, you are also very compatible sexually. You are starting to spend more and more time.

But at the same time, a disturbing voice inside of you is constantly telling you, “It will go wrong soon and everything will go wrong”, you focus on the negative sides of the relationship and you start to move away from your partner. Perhaps you are reducing your conversations with your partner, avoiding sharing feelings or talking about taking the relationship to the next level. As a result, your partner gets upset, angry, disappointed, and the happiness, excitement and joy at the beginning of the relationship disappears in an instant. That’s how your relationships usually end and it doesn’t last very long.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? If so, you may be sabotaging your relationship. To sabotage romantic relationships means to harm or end your relationship with your conscious or unconscious behavior. So, how and why do you sabotage your relationships?

How Do You Know If You’ve Sabotaged Romantic Relationships?

There are many signs that you may be prone to sabotaging romantic relationships. Some of those;

Constantly or temporarily putting emotional or physical distance between you and your partner, not sharing your feelings, seeming insensitive and unapproachable, reducing conversations, making you feel that it is unimportant to make efforts for the relationship.

Acting defensively. Interpreting any criticism from your partner as blame

Lying about your feelings and thoughts or the state of the relationship. When your partner wants to talk about these issues, using sentences such as “There is no problem”, “Everything is fine”.

In order to feel strong in the relationship, to protect yourself, to blame and criticize your partner in everything, to look for the “perfect” partner even though you know it is not possible.

Moving away when your partner has an emotional need, showing closeness when you notice your partner is moving away

Staying away from behaviors that show commitment (like living with your partner, meeting their parents)

Changing partners frequently, breaking up with your partner for minor disagreements, and repeating this cycle

Having sexual or emotional relationships with other people other than your partner, even though you do not have an agreement regarding polygamy

Feeling excessive insecurity and jealousy towards your partner and therefore arguing frequently

Choosing partners who do not have similar relationship expectations as you

Since all these behaviors prevent you from establishing a sincere intimacy, they can make it easier for you to end this relationship whenever you want, it can drive your partner away from you and cause them to leave you. Well, why do we spend so much effort to end a union that can be good for us and make us happy?

Why Do We Sabotage Romantic Relationships?

Every person has different reasons for sabotaging their romantic relationships. We know that many variables such as childhood and adolescence, relationships with parents, past relationship experiences affect our behavior in relationships. So much so that our behavior can change in relationships with different people at different times. But if we look at the main reasons for sabotaging romantic relationships, the most important one is trying to protect oneself in non-functional ways for fear of being hurt emotionally. This has its origins in the insecure attachment patterns established with caregivers in childhood.

Insecure Attachment/ Anxious and Avoidant Attachment

We know that the way our caregivers treated us as children influences our perception of ourselves and others and shapes our future relationships. If the caregiver sometimes treats the baby warm and interested, sometimes cold and distant, or if he is completely indifferent and does not respond to his needs, this may cause insecure attachment in the child.

To summarize briefly, there are two types of insecure attachment patterns. Anxiously attached people feel that they are unloved and worthless because of their past relational patterns experienced with their caregivers, and they believe that they do not receive enough value from their partners in a romantic relationship, and they may find their partners’ attention and love insufficient. This results in them being more controlling in the relationship, often seeking confirmation that they are loved, demanding and jealous, as well as causing them to experience fear of rejection and abandonment. In short, they seek intimacy, but they live with the fear that they may lose this intimacy at any moment. Exactly because of these behaviors, it is not possible for them to establish intimacy in their relationships and they can sabotage the relationships in which they can find the love and attention they are looking for.

Online Terapi Nedir? Online Terapi Öncesi Bilinmesi Gerekenler
Psy. Cagla APAYDIN

What is Online Therapy? Things to Know Before Online Therapy

Since the 1980s, the widespread use of technology and internet all over the world has caused some life practices to change and transform. Accessing many services over the internet has enabled us not only to be limited to the facilities where we live, but also to not waste time. Since the beginning of 2020, every service that can be used over the internet has started to be of vital importance due to the pandemic experienced all over the world. So, when we think about it in this context, how can we evaluate the online therapy service? Why do we need online psychotherapy services? What are the advantages and disadvantages of online psychotherapy and can we benefit as much as face-to-face psychotherapy?

What is Online Therapy?

Online therapy is the provision of psychotherapy services over the internet in cases where the therapist and client cannot conduct face-to-face meetings for different reasons. The forum named “Dear Uncle Ezra”, which was established at Cornell University in 1986, can be considered the first example of online therapy. People could post their problems and questions on this forum, and their questions were answered by anonymous mental health professionals. With the development of internet technology, long-term meetings such as traditional therapy with video calls began to be planned beyond just answering questions. With the effect of the pandemic period, we started to see that online therapy is more preferred and applied.

What are the Advantages of Online Therapy?

Online therapy is more accessible and practical as we do not need to plan and spare time to go to the therapist’s office in online therapy. We can hold sessions in any place where we can express ourselves comfortably and feel safe.

In rural areas, we may have difficulties in reaching competent psychotherapists. For this reason, we may have to travel to larger cities in order to receive psychotherapy services, and we may have difficulty attending sessions on a regular basis. This can prevent us from getting enough benefit from psychotherapy. In such a case, online therapy is more sustainable both financially and in terms of time.

We may not be able to get out of where we are due to our physical ailments, and for this very reason, we may need psychological support. Through online therapy, psychotherapy service can reach a wider population.

Due to the quarantine experienced during the pandemic period, many people’s working system and relations with their social environment had to change. Adding to this the concerns about the COVID-19 virus and the problems in getting used to the new order, we have become more disadvantaged in terms of psychological disorders. In such a period, we can reach psychotherapy services in order to increase our psychological resilience without risking our physical health with online therapy.

What are the Disadvantages of Online Therapy?

The therapeutic relationship is a unique relationship that is based on mutual trust between the therapist and the client, where the goals and course of therapy are agreed together and increases the benefit in therapy. Establishing this relationship may take time and it may be more difficult to establish a therapeutic relationship, especially since face-to-face communication cannot be established in online therapy.

Since face-to-face communication cannot be established in online therapy, the therapist may have difficulty observing clues that can provide information about the client’s mood and thoughts, such as body language, gestures and facial expressions.

Online therapy may not be suitable for every client (such as suicidal thoughts, psychosis, etc.). For this reason, it would be appropriate to see online therapy primarily as an evaluation session and to continue in line with the guidance of the therapist.

During online therapy, technological problems such as freezing of the image, inability to reach the sound, and dropping the call may disrupt the flow of the conversation.

Is Online Therapy as Effective as Face-to-face Therapy?

When we consider the advantages and disadvantages of online therapy, we may question whether online therapy is as effective as a traditional therapy interview. Research in this area shows that online therapy is as effective as traditional therapy in the treatment of many mental health problems. In 2014, Nordgren et al. observed that online cognitive behavioral therapy had a positive effect in the treatment of anxiety disorder. At the same time, the development of the clients who received this treatment maintained its continuity. In a 2018 study conducted by Andrews et al., online cognitive behavioral therapy was found to be as effective as face-to-face therapy in the treatment of major depression and anxiety disorders.

Although online therapy was applied before the pandemic period, it has become a more important option during the pandemic period. In this process, the client and the therapist who continue to meet with the traditional method.

Neden Geçmiş İlişkilerimizi Tekrarlarız
Psy. Cagla APAYDIN

Why Do We Repeat Our Past Relationships?

Each of us has from time to time asked ourselves questions such as why do such people always find me, why do I have similar problems in my relationships, will it always continue like this. In fact, we repeat similar patterns in our relationships, even if it makes us uneasy or challenging. In relationships, we somehow find ourselves in the same roles or put ourselves in situations where we feel similar emotions. So, why do we prefer to maintain these relationships instead of ending relationships that are not good for us? Freud explains this situation with the concept of repetition obsession (repetition compulsion). According to Freud, this is due to the traumatic forms of attachment we have established in the past and our desire to return to these ways of relating again and again. Our unconscious desire to repeat these relationship patterns serves to suppress traumatic experiences and prevents us from remembering.

What Is Repetition Obsession In My Relationships?

To illustrate, let’s imagine that as a child, our relationship with our opposite-sex parent was rejecting and involved emotional neglect. In order to cope with this as a child, we ignore current reality and our emotions and focus more on what we can do to get the love and acceptance we expect from rejecting parents. But this means that we must suppress our true feelings and thoughts in order to have a loving relationship. And unless the expected love is received, we begin to develop certain behaviors to deal with this disappointment. This will show itself in our future relationships. For example, we may find ourselves in a relationship where we are not loved and accepted, believing that we can change the outcome this time. Unconsciously, we think that if I continue the relationship, the situation can change and I can get the love and attention I need. But when we set up and play the same scene, the result does not change and we get hurt emotionally over and over again. At the same time, these relationships, in which we feel worthless and unloved, become a familiar area for us. So much so that we don’t even think about any other form of relationship. Since we also know how to deal with this familiarity, we may tend to continue the relationship.

Coping With Repetition Obsession

The opposite is also possible. Sometimes we reverse roles, we can be the rejecters in the relationship, and we try to deal with these feelings by making our partner feel worthless and unloved. The fact that children exposed to emotional, physical or sexual abuse show these types of violence to others in the future can also be explained by the obsession with repetition. The child who is victimized in his relationship with the parent may similarly repeat his past trauma by choosing the victimizing role in his future relationships. Even if the roles change (victim/victimized, caregiver/caregiver, etc.), a vicious circle is experienced and a new relationship experience cannot be possible.

Similar Relationships

In summary, if you constantly find yourself in similar relational situations, similar behaviors and emotional states, although this situation is challenging you emotionally, if you continue the relationship by thinking that you can get different results this time instead of ending the relationship, we can say that it is a repetition obsession. So much so that regardless of time and people, you can always feel like you are playing the same or the opposite role in the same relational scene.

How to Break the Similar Relationship Cycle?

So how to break this cycle? Specialized psychodynamic psychotherapy is a process that will be beneficial both in terms of recognizing your relational patterns, understanding what they serve, and seeing how a new relational experience is possible. Undoubtedly, a similar relationship will be repeated in the psychotherapy relationship, and thanks to these awarenesses, a new way of experience will be opened as the therapy relationship is studied. Thus, it is possible to establish relationships where there are more spontaneous, more diverse and rich ways of relating, and where your need for attention and love will be met without suppressing your own feelings and thoughts.

By Psk. Çağla APAYDIN

Öz Şefkat Nedir, Ne Değildir
Psy. Cansu SAHIN

What Is Self Compassion and What Is It Not?

Self-compassion is an attitude and determines one’s attitude towards one’s own feelings and thoughts. It consists of three basic components. These are self-kindness, common humanity, and awareness.

Self-kindness is related to what the person says to himself and how he acts after the events he has experienced. In other words, does the person criticize himself, take a punitive attitude or act with a supportive attitude? In this context, what is meant by self-kindness is to approach oneself with a loving and gentle attitude. Sometimes feelings and thoughts are so intense that it can be difficult to be kind to ourselves. At such times, it can be a reminder of self-kindness to stop and ask the question of what he would say to a friend of mine, how I would behave, and try to show the attitude here for ourselves. Another component, the common human condition, states that all experiences, feelings and thoughts are part of the common human experience. Being human involves growing up, inevitably making mistakes and facing life’s challenges. The way each person experiences pain is different, but the suffering is common, and this suffering is very natural. Remembering this and evaluating our lives from this perspective is part of self-compassion. Awareness, on the other hand, is the state of being aware of our feelings and thoughts, without trying to avoid or ignore them. It is also important for us to realize our feelings and thoughts and open up space, to recognize and shape our needs and expectations.

Self-compassion isn’t about being self-pitying, always being gentle, being selfish by thinking only about yourself, just standing still or being passive. Self-compassion can be in the form of just staying with those experiences and stopping, or it also includes active actions such as evaluating what we need and taking action in line with these needs and expectations, or ending relationships and situations that are not good for us.

With self-compassion practices, we can change the relationship we have with ourselves. In this way, our relationships with other people and the world can also change. Studies show that a self-compassionate attitude leads to greater happiness, life satisfaction, self-confidence and physical health. Therefore, self-compassion is an attitude that can be learned and practiced by everyone, increasing well-being.

By  Psk. Cansu Şahin

Source: Self

Compassionate Awareness Practice Guide, Dr. Christopher K. Germer, Dr. Kristin Neff

Özgüven Eksikliği Nedir Nasıl Oluşur
Psy. Cansu SAHIN

What is a lack of self-confidence and how does it occur?

Movements of Confidence Come First, Feelings of Confidence Second!

Self-confidence is an important concept for communication and self-expression skills in one’s life. It includes the person’s evaluation of himself. Self-confidence has an impact on one’s attitudes and behaviors by influencing the way people relate. A person needs the skills to establish and maintain relationships with other people in his daily life, to express his needs and expectations in an appropriate environment, and to organize relations with his teacher/boss or peers. It is known that when one feels a lack of self-confidence, the person has difficulties and troubles in these matters.

Our feelings, thoughts and behaviors affect and are affected by each other. Feeling a lack of self-confidence negatively affects our thoughts about our own competence and our perception of ourselves. This perception of ourselves can be reflected in our behaviors in the form of avoiding showing ourselves in social situations and withdrawing. This way of thinking and behaving can lead to a vicious circle by feeding and triggering the feeling of lack of self-confidence. Therefore, feeling a lack of self-confidence can negatively affect a person’s self-perception and can manifest itself with problems in social relations and school/work life.

What Causes Lack of Self-Confidence?

Lack of self-confidence is a concept associated with a basic sense of trust. Confidence is a set of beliefs that include thoughts about oneself, other people, and the future. It includes trust in people, beliefs about the nature of humanity, evaluations of whether the world is a safe place, self-perception and competence. The damage to the basic sense of trust as a result of various experiences can negatively affect the self-confidence of the person and cause a lack of self-confidence by shaking his/her self-efficacy belief. The triggers of a lack of self-confidence are; overly high expectations, harsh personal judgments, preoccupation with fears (failure, inadequacy, worthlessness, etc.), lack of experience and skill.

How to Work with a Lack of Self-Confidence

As mentioned, the negative evaluations we make about our self-confidence interact with our behaviors and emotions, creating a cycle. The main thing that sustains this cycle is our behavior. It is possible for us to develop behaviors and skills that will enable us to get out of this cycle instead of behaviors that feed the feeling and thinking of lack of self-confidence.

If you want to be able to do something and provide a sense of self-confidence, first of all, you should determine what skill you need to improve on the subject you are missing and put it into practice, that is, you should rehearse this skill. Then, you can create new skills and behavior patterns by applying this skill effectively in daily life, evaluating the results of the practice, identifying and rearranging where it works or needs improvement. In other words, you must first develop skills, put these skills into action, and then expect to feel confident.

For example, someone who hesitates to speak in a classroom or meeting environment may not be able to express their own ideas due to a lack of self-confidence. If this person practices techniques such as visualization techniques by imagining himself speaking in public and rehearsing to improve his public speaking and self-expression skills, he will begin to develop this skill over time. Afterwards, he will be able to expand his behavioral repertoire by exhibiting this rehearsal in his daily life and by identifying the points he needs to evaluate and improve himself.

Source

Harris, R. (2020). Self-Esteem Gap. Diogenes Publishing, Istanbul.

Psk.Cansu Şahin

Irkçılık Olgusunun Günümüze Yansımaları : Yeni Irkçılık
Psy. Cansu GUNEY

Reflections of the Phenomenon of Racism to Today: The New Racism

Racism is a political ideology that emerged especially in the political field at the end of the eighteenth century and has deep ties to modernism as well as capitalist ideology. When we look at the dictionary meaning, racism is defined as the doctrine that suggests that one race is superior to other races by reducing the social characteristics of people to their biological and racial characteristics. The marginalized community is seen as having unchanging negative qualities, and these negative aspects serve to reinforce the idea of racism by feeding on prejudices. Political and socio-economic factors are among the other causes of racism.

Race, on the other hand, is defined as a group of people who have acquired certain or distinctive physical characteristics as a result of biological inheritance. With the intensification of studies on “race” in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; The idea of racism began to emerge, and with the twentieth century, with the increasing interest in genetics, the concept of “race” began to lose its scientific character. The events during the Second World War, the idea of a pure race that became widespread in Germany at that time, and the transformation of racial discrimination into a policy of expulsion and even annihilation of races, which was initiated to suppress and suppress all non-pure races, especially Jews, and spread over time. It has been an important experience for people about the dimensions that the thought can reach. Therefore, both the scientific validity of the concept of “race” and the experience of the Second World War made us think that racism could disappear after these processes. On the other hand, it is assumed that people’s thoughts and perspectives will be developed with a modern worldview, self-development skills and education; Even though people were born different, it was believed that these differences would be closed with civilization and education.

However, the discourses of politicians and political parties to protect differences and the actions to prevent immigrant groups from mixing with society show that racism is still alive today. However, when we look at the main reasons why racism continues to exist from the past to the present; The production and dissemination of this concept, the studies on race, the normalization of the exploitation system established in line with this idea by seeing the non-whites at a low level, and the fact that immigrants are seen as a threat in some societies. The new concept of racism emerged as a product of the new social and political life formed by the reversal of the population movements between the colonial and colonial countries after the end of the colonial era. What matters for this “new racism” is not biological factors, but differences such as culture and lifestyle. In other words, the “new racism” is an approach that replaces the racial factor with the cultural factor. According to this approach, cultural differences should be preserved and different cultures should be kept separate. This approach, where there is more cultural discrimination, creates xenophobia, as individuals who migrated from Third World countries for certain reasons adversely affect the indigenous people of the country they migrated to and distort their identities.

The ideological background of this “new racism” is “racism without race”, which has immigration and immigration as its main theme. However, immigrants, who are the target of this ideology, are used as the labor force at the bottom of the society, which ensures the continuity of capitalism. To put it in the words of Balibar (2003) “It is not difficult to understand that in the new racist teachings the theme of hierarchy has only seemingly disappeared”.

When we look at history, the Holocaust and the subsequent discrimination against blacks in America and the colonial conquests and wars that followed, racism has constantly found a way of self-actualization depending on politics and economy. This is why the identification of racism with anti-Semitism serves as an excuse because it allows denying the racist character of xenophobia targeting immigrants.

Today, those who perpetrate this racism not only express their belief in the equality of all people, but also treat individuals of other ethnic origin and religion as separate and inferior beings (Bernasconi, 2007). This type of racism expresses a behavior that argues that the other party, who is not like himself, should live within their own or other geographical and social boundaries, and under the discourse of respecting different cultures lies an invisible belief in intercultural inequality.

Reactions to intercultural fusion and mixing, the emphasis on difference and separation cause any universalist attempt to be seen as threatening. In the new discourse of racism, there is an opposition to the universal and this stance forms the basis of an ultra-conservative idea that differences should be preserved (Taguieff, 2001). This is the basis of the most invisible, and although this idea may seem incompatible with racism, it is immediately clear that the purpose here is to keep different cultures separate from each other, even to overemphasize the dominant culture.

In the new view of racism, it is concluded that each individual will want to live in the culture they belong to and will be reactive and shy towards those from different cultures, based on the fact that cultures are different from each other. This is the renewed version of racism. The new racism does not emphasize cultural superiority, but acts on the argument that those coming from the third world distort the indigenous identity. It aims at cultural discrimination, not biological superiority. What is in question is not the naturalized characteristics of races, but negative feelings such as uneasiness, prejudice and hostility towards the different. In addition to the natural acceptance of being afraid of the different, aggression is also made naturally acceptable. It is thought that such feelings will naturally prevent different groups from living together.

When we look at the appearances of racism today, it can be seen how racist ideology is shaped according to social and theoretical changes. In addition, classical racism’s belief that racial mixing would bring corruption has evolved into a belief that cultural mixing will bring problems. Despite all these changing discourses, when looked closely, it is seen that the essence of racism is the same. Despite the changing discourses, the aim of being against equality, creating new distinctions, preserving existing differences and keeping groups where they are, is preserved.

In conclusion, “Is there a solution or an end to racism?”. The European Union, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and states should be sensitive to this issue. This thought can be reduced by sanctions, laws, public education, and raising new generations free from these prejudices. As Balibar (2003) states, while the object that is the victim of racism rebels, the racist subject must also be dissolved. In short, the disappearance of racist thinking lies in the self-questioning of both sides of racism.

Pandemi Sürecinde Çocuklarda Ekran Bağımlılığı Ve Online Eğitimin Dengesi
Psy. Cansu DEDEOGLU SOYAL

The Balance of Screen Addiction and Online Education in Children During the Pandemic Process

Screen addiction

The impact of screens on children is especially important right now. The rules set before the pandemic lost their effect with the extension of the time we stayed at home. The use of phones, tablets and computers, which became obligatory in the distance education process, also created addictions. In order for us to say addiction; screen time should increase day by day, problems arise when not playing games (such as anger problems), disruptions in responsibilities and relationships, and decrease in other daily activities. Banning screen use completely will not be a solution in this process, parents need to regulate screen time in constructive ways. Classes are held online, most of the day is spent in front of the screen. When the lesson is over, our children naturally want to play games, we know that most parents are worried about their screen time.

So how should parents manage this process?

First of all, the parent should set an example for their child with their screen use.

The television, which is always on so that he can eat better, linger and spend time, makes the use of the screen permanent and becomes permanent.

In between online training, time should be spent resting the eyes without being exposed to the phone, tablet and television.

At least one or two hours before sleep, a screen-free clock can be applied, reading a book together and various activities according to the age of the child.

Time spent with children, games and activities will minimize screen time.

It is extremely important to do outdoor activities together, as well as good online activities.

It is useful to see the screen as a space to spend time together, so you will have control.

If possible, have certain watch hours on a single device.

Setting a certain limit and complying with the limit will also facilitate the process.

It’s protective to set boundaries, set routines, and most importantly, talk about their feelings.

will be a factor. It’s the relationships that matter. It is important to invest in your relationship, meeting the needs of children emotionally as well as physically.

If your child is no longer bored with online education and cannot get efficiency;

Distance education has been going on for about a year, although the students went to school from time to time, home education was mostly dominant. In this process, it is quite normal for children to get bored with online lessons. Parents should understand this situation. Children who see that their feelings are understood will adapt to the rules more easily. Activities that relax your eyes between lessons will be beneficial, the game time should be at the end of the lesson. Boundaries and rules will make it easier for parents in this process. First of all, we must understand our children’s feelings and act with love and patience. This will be the way to get through this process in a healthy way.

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Psk. Cansu DEDEOĞLU

Suggestions for Students with Exam Anxiety - Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi
Psy. Bilge ALPDUNDAR

Suggestions for Students with Exam Anxiety

Recommendations to the Student: To reduce anxiety, apply ONLY to professional people (Psychologists, psychiatrists, psychological counseling and guidance specialists) and professional institutions (Turkish Psychological Association, psychiatry clinics). Thinking that it will increase your performance, the drug you will use may reduce your attention and give you drowsiness. As a result, your performance drops and you get distracted. Remember, only the doctor can decide whether to use medication or not.

Get as much rest as you can without changing your usual sleep habits near the exam.

Do not try new tastes and foods that you are not used to, at least for the last week. Continue to eat as you are used to.

Before the exam, see where you will take the exam and determine how you will go.

Try to be at the exam site on time without worrying about the distance of the place you will go on the exam day.

First of all, you are the person you are competing with.

REMEMBER!!!!

It is in your hands to make the best use of the exam time.

Think constructively and don’t let any signs of anxiety distract you from getting the most out of your performance.

Focus on the questions to make the best use of your performance during the exam process, not the result of the exam.

Focus your attention on your own exam booklet, questions and answer sheet, not on other candidates, any noise and/or noise in the environment.

GOOD LUCK………..

Takıntı Zorlantı Bozukluğu OKB Nedir
Psy. Aysegul MENTESEOGLU

Obsession – Compulsive Disorder What is “OCD”?

(Obsessive compulsive disorder)

Obsession-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder in which the person has obsessions, compulsions, or both and significantly impairs the person’s functionality. In this mental disorder, compulsive, intrusive thoughts and compulsions, repetitive behaviors and intellectual pursuits are seen. These cause great distress to the person and negatively affect their functionality. The person is usually willing to resist their obsessions and compulsions. However, it is known that although the majority of people with obsessive compulsive disorder have awareness, they have difficulty in resisting their obsessions and compulsions.

What are Obsessions and Compulsions?

Recurrent obsessions and compulsions are seen in OCD.

Obsessions are unwanted, persistent, inappropriate thoughts. They cause distress and anxiety. Because they are unwanted and inappropriate thoughts, they can be called alien to the self. It is called alien to the self because these thoughts, impulses or doubts are foreign to the person, do not arise of their own accord, and are a thought, impulse or doubt that the person does not actually want to have. The person knows that these thoughts do not occur voluntarily. However, he also knows that his mind produces these thoughts and that these thoughts are not imposed on him from the outside. The person tries to neutralize, suppress or ignore the obsessions. Obsessions can be thoughts as well as images. The most common obsessions; obsessions of contamination and contamination (such as believing that disease will be transmitted by touching), recurring doubts (such as whether the iron is unplugged), needing to be organized (such as when objects are uneven), aggression and harm obsessions (such as hurting your child), sexual obsessions (such as whether the iron is unplugged). such as sexual relations with forbidden persons), sin obsessions (such as cursing religious figures).

People with obsessions try to reduce their obsessions with other thoughts or actions (compulsions).

Compulsions are repetitive mental acts or behaviors performed to suppress distress and anxiety caused by obsessions. Common compulsions; washing, washing, cleaning, counting, checking, repetitive movements (such as turning the light on and off), ordering and reassuring compulsions.

Examples of repetitive behavior are handwashing, checking, queuing, etc. Examples of repetitive mental actions are praying, counting, and silently repeating some words. The person performs these behaviors or mental acts to avoid distress and anxiety. Often, however, they are not realistically related to the distress and anxiety they want to avoid. Compulsions are made to protect the individual, their relatives or other people due to magical thoughts. It may contain personalized rituals and has strict rules.

The Importance of Resisting OCD

When the person accepts that the obsessions and compulsions are far from the truth, he tries to resist the compulsions. However, when trying to resist, the person’s distress and anxiety increase. When he does not resist, there is a temporary relief in his anxiety and distress. For this reason, after a while, there is a decrease in this resistance and compulsive behaviors become a part of the person’s life.

Is OCD Treatment Possible?

In the studies conducted in the 1980s, the thesis was defended that obsessive compulsive disorder is a rare and treatment-resistant disease. However, current studies state that obsessive compulsive disorder is the fourth most common mental illness, and that very positive results can be obtained from psychiatric drug and psychotherapy treatments.

AUTHOR

Psk. Ayşegül MENTESEOĞLU

Mükemmeliyetçilik, “Ya, Hep Ya Hiç”
Psy. Aysegul MENTESEOGLU

Perfectionism, “All or Nothing”

Personality

Personality is a concept that varies from individual to individual. The characteristics that an individual is born with and acquired through environmental factors form the personality. It is known that especially the first fifth and sixth years of life are important when personality is formed.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is one of the personality traits. According to Hollender, the concept of perfectionism is a negative personality trait acquired in childhood through learning, which causes the individual to have abnormally high expectations. Perfectionist individuals tend to enlarge and generalize their mistakes and minimize their success. They often describe themselves as unsuccessful individuals.

“It’s All or Nothing”

“All or nothing” thinking is a “cognitive distortion”. “Cognitive distortion”, which is a concept of cognitive behavioral therapy approach, means logic errors that are continuous in the individual’s thought system and continue in a systematic way.

An individual with an “all or nothing” cognitive distortion believes that his work will be perfectly perfect or completely unsuccessful. If the person expects the work to be completely perfect, he makes an extreme effort, or if he has developed a belief that he will fail, he exhibits the behavior of not starting the work at all. If the individual cannot achieve perfection in the job he needs to do, he may develop a belief that that job is flawed and that he is also unsuccessful.

Relationship with Mental Health

This way of thinking and related behaviors can cause anxiety in individuals and deterioration in their functions. The fact that the person has high expectations and makes an abnormal extreme effort against his responsibilities are the factors that cause the emergence of anxiety. The individual’s thinking that he has failed despite this extreme effort can cause obsessions.

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