---
title: "Earthquake fear can lead to an increase in forensic and psychiatric cases"
description: "Earthquake fear can lead to an increase in forensic and psychiatric cases"
url: https://uha.com.tr/after-earthquake-brain-can-remain-in-constant-danger-mode
type: article
language: en
last_updated: 2026-02-22
category: saglik
---

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# After an earthquake, the brain can remain in 'constant danger' mode!

## Bilgi

| Özellik | Değer |
|---------|-------|
| **Kategori** | saglik |
| **Yayın Tarihi** | 2025-08-11 |
| **Güncelleme** | 2026-02-22 |
| **Kaynak** | [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr/after-earthquake-brain-can-remain-in-constant-danger-mode) |

## Özet

Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that earthquake fear (seismophobia) and subsequent acute stress disorder are natural responses, but when unmanaged, they significantly reduce quality of life. He stated, “If a person mentally educates themselves on this matter, just like someone trained in fire safety knows what to do, panic is minimized. Most losses result not from the disaster itself, but from panic.”

## İçerik

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that after an earthquake, the brain can get stuck in a ‘constant danger’ mode for some individuals, emphasizing that symptoms such as sleep disorders, inability to enter one's home, and excessive vigilance after denial, depression, and ‘fight-flight-freeze’ reactions indicate the situation is becoming serious.<

Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “All of these are typical reactions that occur in acute stress situations and these reactions are expected to resolve within a few hours or a few days.”

Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan evaluated the issue of earthquake fear.

**Meaningful fear is beneficial**

Stating that fear is actually a beneficial emotion that enables us to survive, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "Fear protects us from dangers, allows us to make correct and healthy decisions, and helps us develop ourselves. A defined and meaningful fear is beneficial."

Prof. Dr. Tarhan expressed that unhealthy fears are generally irrational, disproportionate, and excessive fears, adding, "The search for meaning, the search for freedom, the need to alleviate loneliness, and the fear of not being able to explain death constitute existential fears. Uncertainty is the main reason for these."

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that managing fear is not difficult at all, and that individuals can seek professional help if they cannot cope on their own. 

"If we analyze events correctly and can change our prejudices and mental conditioning, it becomes clear that many fears are groundless. Being able to manage fear when making decisions is very important." Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that fear can be managed if the brain resolves uncertainty.

**Brain fog is related to long-term stress**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the term "brain fog", frequently heard today, is related to long-term stress, saying, "Long-term stress causes the secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the brain. This situation leads to a slowdown in the brain's understanding, comprehension, perception, and decision-making mechanisms. The person's brain literally works in slow motion. Even if there are no other psychiatric problems, only mental slowness is observed."

Prof. Dr. Tarhan, in situations such as burnout syndrome, stated that individuals cannot manage chronic stress and feel helplessness, explaining, "This situation arises in individuals who cannot manage the workload in life, responsibilities related to children, and cannot produce healthy solutions. A person who produces solutions eliminates uncertainty in the brain. Eliminating uncertainty is one of the basic human needs."

**The moment of birth is the first fear experience for a baby**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the moment of birth is the baby's first experience of fear, saying, "In the womb, the baby doesn't even need to breathe; everything is ready. However, the mechanism in the body is planned for after birth. After birth, the first feeling the child experiences is fear, and the first reaction is crying. They immediately take refuge with their mother and relax. This is the moment when the basic sense of trust develops. Nothing can replace the warmth of the mother or a mother figure between 0-3 years of age." 

Prof. Dr. Tarhan also touched upon studies in perinatal psychology, stating that babies born through natural delivery secrete less stress hormone in stress tests compared to those born via C-section, adding, "Natural birth is life's first hardship and makes children psychologically more resilient. Children born via C-section have more stress hormones."

**Fear is a whip for humans**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that negative life events can be evaluated as "growth-promoting trauma," saying, "We measure this with post-traumatic growth scales. Did the person learn something from this trauma? In post-traumatic growth, new possibilities emerge, the person reviews human relationships, and realizes their personal strengths. They use the method of radical acceptance for things beyond their power. This is the transformation of fear into an achievement. Fear is a whip for humans, an emotion that motivates people and offers new areas of discovery. It is important to manage fear instead of being afraid of fear."

**Childhood traumas are a significant cause of today's fears**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that childhood traumas are an important factor in our current fears, saying, “Childhood traumas are a significant cause of our current fears. When we examine a person who is afraid of furry objects, we usually see that the root of this fear lies in a negative experience they had with a furry creature (or object) during childhood. The person may have consciously forgotten this event, but this experience can persist as a general fear of fur or furry objects. This type of fear and underlying traumas are of great importance for a person's mental health and development. However, it should not be thought that childhood traumas are a 'lifelong destiny.' Because such effects are not genetic but epigenetic; that is, they can be changed and improved by environmental factors.”

**Earthquake fear (seismophobia) significantly reduces quality of life when unmanaged**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that earthquake fear (seismophobia) and subsequent acute stress disorder are natural responses, but when unmanaged, they significantly reduce quality of life. He stated, "If a person mentally educates themselves on this matter, just like someone trained in fire safety knows what to do, panic is minimized. Most losses result not from the disaster itself, but from panic."

Drawing attention to the effectiveness of disaster education given to children aged 4-6 in Japan, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "These trainings are harder to learn in later ages. Preparing an earthquake kit is important, but the main issue is knowing what to do at that moment. Instead of saying, 'Let's not talk about earthquakes, it will harm the child's mental health,' scenarios like 'What will we do if there's an earthquake?' should be discussed with children, including preschoolers, and practiced at home. When a person knows what will happen, their fear ceases to be disproportionate. Fear is a natural emotion. Of course, we will be afraid. But mental preparation is very important.” 

**Some people live as if there is a constant threat, constant danger**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that during an earthquake, the sympathetic nervous system is excessively activated (pupil dilation, muscle tension, increased blood pressure), but after the danger passes, the parasympathetic system should kick in to provide relief, and continued:

“In some people, the parasympathetic nervous system does not activate. They live as if there is a constant threat, constant danger. Faced with a traumatic event, if the source of fear is uncertain, the first reaction in an individual is usually denial or rejection. However, if the fear is based on a concrete and undeniable source like an earthquake, as a second reaction, the person can enter a depressive state related to the event. This situation can manifest as anger outbursts in some, and withdrawal in others. Subsequently, 'fight, flight, or freeze' reactions can be observed in some individuals. Some may experience temporary speechlessness or exhibit behaviors such as jumping out of a window in a panic. All of these are typical reactions that occur in an acute stress situation, and these reactions are expected to resolve within a few hours or a few days. However, if this situation disrupts a person's sleep pattern, if the person spends most of their time (for example, 50 minutes out of an hour) thinking about the earthquake, or if 'flashbacks,' re-experiencing the event, occur frequently (meaning they feel the event will happen again at any moment), if symptoms such as inability to enter one's home, constantly being on edge, or 'hypervigilance' appear, or even if the person becomes afraid to sleep, the situation has become serious."

**Some people 'mummify' fear, keeping it alive in their lives constantly**

Explaining that intense fear can virtually disrupt the 'program' in the brain, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated the following:

“If this situation does not affect daily life activities, especially within the first month (or up to 8 weeks according to some views), it is not considered an illness. During this period, medication is usually not necessary; on the contrary, this stress is expected to be experienced and processed to some extent. In fact, this stress can turn into an opportunity for the person to gain new perspectives, think differently, attribute new meanings to events, perform deep analyses, and develop themselves by noticing small details. The person's positive or negative approach to the event and their way of making sense of it determine the course of this process.

Generally, this situation resolves within 6-8 weeks, and the person returns to their normal life. What is healthy during this process is to 'miniaturize' fear, meaning to manage it by reducing its scale. However, some people cannot miniaturize fear; instead, they 'mummify' it, keeping it constantly alive in their lives. In these individuals, the situation points to a fear with a known source rather than an obsession with an uncertain object, which usually leads to avoidance behaviors. Continuous thought repetitions are observed; this condition is more often in the form of 'rumination,' which can be negative or sometimes positive in content. The person constantly thinks about the same subject. In obsession, the person is aware that their thoughts are absurd, but in rumination, they believe their thoughts and constantly revolve them in their mind. That is something that exhausts the brain greatly. It is natural for such reactions to last about 6-8 weeks. At the end of this period, the person is expected to continue their life with post-traumatic growth gains. If this cannot be achieved, professional help should be sought."

**Istanbul's "crazy project" should be urban transformation**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan, arguing that Istanbul's "crazy project" should primarily be urban transformation, stated, "Currently, approximately 70 percent of the buildings are pre-2000 structures and have high potential for risk. Leadership and a serious future projection are essential in this regard."

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that different expert opinions on earthquakes, like "those who catastrophize" and "those who say the danger has passed," confuse people and lead to misinformation, adding, "While experts should sit down among themselves and produce solutions, everyone is saying something different. It is necessary to act and think rationally."

**One cannot get used to living as if an earthquake could happen at any moment**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that society tends to forget traumas over time (like the February 6 earthquakes), saying, "Instead of ignoring fear, it is necessary to 'miniaturize' it and ensure the continuity of society. Statements like 'Tomorrow there could be a 7.4 magnitude earthquake' are 'mummifying' fear, and one cannot live with such fear. One cannot get used to living with a snake in a room. One cannot get used to living as if an earthquake could happen at any moment. Seeing that administrators are taking the matter seriously and making plans, such as the building assessment studies by the Ministry of Urbanization, increases people's sense of trust, minimizes panic behavior, and eliminates uncertainty about the future."

**Earthquake fear can lead to an increase in forensic and psychiatric cases**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that earthquake fear can lead to an increase in forensic and psychiatric cases and can undermine the basic sense of trust in society, saying, "If there is a sense of trust, people overcome problems more easily by saying 'there is a solution to this'."

Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the first coping method is positive psychology, explaining, "This approach is based on affirming events and being able to assign meaning to them. Every event has a threat dimension and an opportunity dimension. Seeing the threat dimension and focusing on the opportunity dimension, accepting facts, setting goals, and developing strategies is the best way to manage fear. We call this ‘radical acceptance’; accepting it and turning it into an opportunity."

**We all have things within and beyond our power**

Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the second important method is religious coping, stating, "We all have things within and beyond our power. In such situations, a person needs a mental refuge: being part of a greater meaning, a value, a creator. Believing that events in the universe are not coincidental, that the world has an owner just as a ship has a captain, allows a person to relax by using these methods where their power is insufficient. Empati, vicdan duygusunun bir ürünüdür. Vicdan duygusu olmayan kimse empati yapamaz. Bencil kişilerde vicdan duygusu körelir. Deprem gibi olaylarda dini başa çıkma yöntemini kullanan kişiler bu konuda bazen aşırı fedakar olabiliyorlar. Aşırı orantısız tepkiler de olabiliyor. Stres altında soğukkanlı kalma konusunda kendini eğitmiş kişiler bu olaylarda liderlik yapıyorlar. Aileyi de yatıştırıyorlar, çevreyi de yatıştırıyorlar. It requires some mental effort.” He concluded his words.

## Akademik Referans

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.62611](https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.62611)

---

*Kaynak: [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr) — https://uha.com.tr/after-earthquake-brain-can-remain-in-constant-danger-mode*