Gelisim News

Psychiatrist Dr. Onur Okan Demirci from Istanbul Gelisim University told DHA why people have been interested in epidemic films, books and articles recently. Psychiatrist Dr. Demirci mentioned that there is a considerable increase in watching movies in which post-apocalyptic scripts are processed as well as epidemic films when looking at internet data, and added: “We reduce the anxiety of the pandemic situation we experience in real life by watching movies on pandemic. In this process, watching such movies increases our sense of security and reduces our sense of fear. Such processes can turn into a situation where both manufacturers of this industry and consumers like us can benefit mutually. In the fight against these kinds of crises, the film industry can benefit us in managing our anxiety and fears.”

WHAT MESSAGE GIVE THIS MOVIES

Pointing out that the most important message of epidemic films is the importance of hope and unity as a society, Dr. Demirci said: “We are now embracing this message in our life during the epidemic we live in, and thus, we can control our anxiety and fears by moving away from our feelings of loneliness with hope, unity. Such productions impose not only the responsibility of our own life or the protection of our loved ones that are sensitive to the virus, but also the feeling and responsibility that everyone can protect and save each other by interlocking each other. In this process, where health workers struggle at their own cost, those who stay at home watching this kind of movies, created by the movies, "We also work. We are saving lives by staying at home, as a partner, as a union, without losing our hope. In fact, we all are heros" so they can reduce their outbreak feelings and thoughts such as anxiety, fear, and inability to control.”

“THIS TYPE OF FILMS CAN INSTILL HUMAN CONTROL, HOPE AND COURAGE EMOTIONS”

Stating that watching movies of this kind helped us to visualize the progress, struggle and outcome of the process we live in, Dr. Demirci said: “These films become a kind of source of ideas for us. Along with the feeling of control created by the films, anxiety and fear may decrease. For this reason, people who have fears watch horror movies about their fears make them relax, as we might think. Such films can instill people with feelings of control, hope, and courage, and they can function quite well and effectively as a kind of emotion inoculation tool.”

Psychiatrist Dr. Onur Okan Demirci from Istanbul Gelisim University, who emphasized that their minds started to produce disaster scenarios when people started feeling losing control, said: “It is not important for our minds how low the probability of the worst scenario to happen. The important thing is that it can produce such a scenario and have the power to believe it, even if there is a possibility in a million. Watching movies that contain such disaster scenarios can provide us with all the positive feelings and thoughts that we need for our own disaster scenario, such as hope, courage, unity, saving lives, feeling useful, taking control, feeling of resilience. For this reason, such disaster films end with an end that humanity has won. In this sense, it is very important for both the producers and the audience that the films prepared in such processes are finished with the end of humanity when preparing disaster films that are likely to happen even if they have not yet lived in the world, even if they are in a million.”

Stating that the effects of the epidemic process will continue significantly after the epidemic, Dr Demirci continued as follows: “Research shows that up to 30 percent of post-epidemic people have “post-traumatic stress disorder” and “depression”. When we look at the films about disaster, these films do not mention the negative images and feelings left by the people after the disaster. Thus, people are fed with hope that everything will return to normal when this process is over. Such a hope is the most important part that the mind needs for the disaster scenario. As a result, such disaster films can play a very important role in instilling a social consciousness.”