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Türkiye is facing a growing gap between demand for mental health support and employment opportunities for psychologists, with antidepressant consumption estimated at up to 100 million boxes annually while public-sector recruitment remains limited.
According to Professor Gokhan Malkoc, president of the Turkish Psychological Association (TPD), official figures show that 71.5 million boxes of antidepressants were consumed in the country in the previous year, although his own calculations suggest the figure could be as high as 100 million.
Speaking to Oksijen, Malkoc said one in four people in Türkiye needs psychological support, yet a significant proportion cannot access such services because of financial difficulties or limited availability.
Despite this demand, the Ministry of Health recruited only 60 psychologists and 30 clinical psychologists during the period cited by Malkoc.
The TPD has warned that psychologists face significant barriers to practicing their profession and meeting the population's mental health needs.
According to the association, Türkiye has approximately 150,000 psychologists, many of whom remain unemployed or work for salaries close to the minimum wage.
The association also pointed to the country's relatively low number of psychologists serving the population. Citing World Health Organization data from 2016, it noted that Argentina had 222 psychologists per 100,000 people, compared with a reported 10 to 30 in Türkiye.
Malkoc criticized the limited recruitment opportunities, noting that only 30 positions were allocated to psychologists out of 15,342 newly announced public-sector vacancies.
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The association also raised concerns about the expansion of university psychology programs, warning that rising enrollment has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the quality of professional education.
Türkiye currently has 166 psychology departments, which collectively produce approximately 13,000 graduates each year, according to the TPD.
As the number of graduates continues to grow, the association has called for a substantial increase in public-sector appointments to address both unemployment among psychologists and unmet demand for mental health services.
Malkoc also urged authorities to introduce legislation regulating the psychology profession in line with internationally recognized ethical standards, describing such a law as the association's most urgent priority.
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