‘2023 sees most appointments to psychology-related departments’

ISTANBUL

The year 2023 has witnessed a striking trend in appointments to psychologists and psychiatrists in Türkiye, reflecting a collective response to challenging times, such as the devastating earthquakes witnessed last year and ongoing economic hardships.

DoktorTakvimi, the most widely used private health appointment booking application in Türkiye, shared its data for 2023. According to the data, the top three cities with the most doctor appointments in 2023 were Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, while the three branches with the most appointments on the platform were psychology, gynecology and obstetrics, and psychiatry, respectively.

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the earthquakes on Feb. 6 last year, the adversities experienced have increased stress levels that are difficult to cope with. Speaking to private broadcaster Habertürk, Esra Güven, a member of the Turkish Psychologists Association, stated that the country was going through collective trauma.

"We have experienced difficulties and traumas as a country, we have suffered losses, we have experienced the feeling of helplessness very deeply. Various other problems, lack of motivation, and questioning the meaning of life can be factors. There may be disasters, terrorist incidents, acts of violence, economic hardships, all of these create collective effects as well as individual effects."

"We experience collective traumas because it damages our sense of security and it affects so many people. It spreads very widely in waves because the mechanism of impact is not only with those who are affected at the primary level," Güven explained.