Psychotherapist from Turkey tries to get recognition in literature for ‘FETÖ Syndrome’

A psychotherapist from Turkey, Çağatay Öztürk, has talked to Nil Soysal from Sözcü newspaper about a spreading psychological complication in the country, which he called the ‘FETÖ Syndrome’.

Mentioning that he actually stepped up to get approval from a university in England in order for this term to enter the literature, Öztürk said what he refers to as FETÖ Syndrome is a state of mind and emotion that seriously triggers masked or major depression, as well as, emotional disturbances caused by extreme paranoia.

As reporter Soysal asked, ‘We went through a societal tramua on July 15th and now there is a fear of FETÖ spread among the public like a virus. What is the term for this in the field of psychology,’ Öztürk replied: “You call it a FETÖ virus but I’ve already found another name for it and even started the necessary work to have it approved at a university in England. We call it the FETÖ Syndrome. It means depression… In other words, it is a contagious state of repeated depression… As a result of the years long speculations over things like deep state, etc., people at times create scenarios on their minds and build on their fears… State of mind and emotion is something that could be contagious as we tend to absorb each other’s energy. And, the reason for the FETÖ Syndrome to spread this quickly is actually this.”

Öztürk also drew attention to the increase in the number of people that come to him for counseling sessions with worries related to the current situation in the country and added: “So many well-known people also come to me. And, what they all have in common is that they are planning to leave the country and go abroad… And, these people are also loaded with money… I mean, no exaggeration: the wealth of some of the people that I offer consultancy and counseling makes up 10% of the country’s economy…But they want to live elsewhere…”

Saying responsibility lyes with public officals, Öztürk said the government and public figures ‘must comfort the people’ rather than fueling into their severed fears.

Staying away from shopping in stores deemed as ‘tied to FETÖ’; refusing to watch TV channels thought of supporting FETÖ; and preferring a hospital far away just because a one that is near is believed to be run by people with sympahty for FETÖ are a few of many examples that could be given about the impact of the current situation on daily lives of people and on their minds and behaviours, the expert said.

FETÖ is the abbreviation of the name fairly recently given by Turkey’s ruling party to the Hizmet Movement of the exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, who is alleged by the government to be the mastermind of the failed coup attempt of last summer.

Though president Erdoğan had begun, a couple of years ago, referring to a ‘secret parallel structure’ that supposedly had the intention of tackling his government, the name ‘FETÖ’ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) conjured almost overnight.

Statutory decrees passed in reference to the state of emergency law declared after the failed coup attempt has left hundreds of thousands of people dismissed; scores of people jailed – including journalists and MPs; and, hundreds of media institutions and civil society groups shutdown.

Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/feto-sendromu-tip-literaturune-giriyor-166314.html