Kemal Sayar is an academician, psychiatrist and thinker who has made significant contributions to psychiatry and literature in Türkiye. He is known for his research that integrates psychiatric science with literary and philosophical thought to examine the individual’s spirit world and social dynamics. In this context, Sayar has conducted comprehensive studies on psychological well-being fabric, the impact of modern life on mental health and the psychological significance of traditional values on.

Kemal Sayar was born in 1966 in Eskişehir. After completing his primary and secondary education in Eskişehir, he graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1989. Sayar completed his psychiatric specialization at Marmara University and began his academic career there, conducting research in clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy for long years. He gained recognition for his studies particularly in cultural psychiatry, psychotherapy techniques and spiritual psychology. In addition to his academic career, Sayar has contributed significantly to psychiatric science by participating in numerous international conferences.

Education

• 1972-1976 Zonguldak Hisarönü 27 May Primary School
• 1976-1983 Eskişehir Anatolia High School
• 1983-1989 Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in English
• 1989-1995 Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Specialist Trainee

Institutions Worked At

• 1989-1995 Marmara University Faculty of Medicine
• 1997-1998 Endowment Gureba Training Hospital Psychiatry Specialist
• 1998-1999 Çorlu Military Hospital Psychiatry Specialist
• 2000-2004 Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Instruction Member
• 2004-2008 Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Hospital 13th Psychiatry Clinic Chief and Chief Physician Assistant
• 2013-2016 Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine
• 2011-2019 Teaching Staff, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine
• 2019- Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine

Titles

• October Professor of Psychiatry since 2008



Accomplishments

• Top Graduate of Eskişehir Anadolu High School
• Tübitak Scholarship Recipient

International Experience

• McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Visiting Faculty Member (Tübitak Researcher) (6 moon)
• 1992 Prague Psychiatric Center, Czech Republic. Visiting Researcher in Clinical Psychiatry (1 month)
• 1992 New Delhi, India and 1995 Hamburg, Germany World Congresses on Social Psychiatry, Speaker
• 1994 Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Child Psychiatry Internship (Four months)
• Social Security Hospital, Santiago De Compostela, Spain. Department of Internal Medicine, Intern Doctor (1 month)
• 2002 Invited Speaker, Advanced Study Institute (McGill University, Montreal)
• 2003 Invited Speaker, University of Vienna. Participant in various international congresses and symposia.
• 2005 Invited Speaker, Stockholm Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry, Sweden (Body and Heart in the Sufi Heritage)
• 2007 Invited Speaker, American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. (The impact of American Psychiatry on the Middle East)
• 2011 Invited Speaker, Advanced Study Institute (McGill University, Montreal). (Cultures of the Internet: Identity, Community and Mental Health)
• 2018 Kathmandu, Nepal, International Conference on Culture and Global Mental Health: Culture, Spirituality and Mental Health.

Domestic Experience

• 1989 Group Psychotherapy Training with Prof. Dr. Daniel Nahum (Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky, USA) (at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine)
• 1989-1994 Psychotherapy training in psychodynamic orientation from Prof. Dr. Cahit Ardalı
• 1993-1994 Psychotherapy training from Prof. Dr. Engin Geçtan
• 1999 International Cross-Cultural Psychiatry Symposium (Trabzon), Organizer
• 2004 ‘Body’: XIIIth Congress on Social Psychiatry (Trabzon), Organizer
• Speaker at various national congresses.
• 2006 International Bakırköy Days (Organizer).
• 2017 4th Technology Dependence Congress. Main Speaker.
• 2017-2018 President of the International Psychopharmacology Congress.

Association Presidency

• 2016, President of the Turkish Psychopharmacology Association

Psychiatry Specialization Areas

• Cultural psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, Anxiety disorders, adolescent psychiatry, suicidal behavior, chronic pain syndromes

General Areas of Interest

• Literature, cinema.

Peer Review in International Journals

• Reviewer for Transcultural Psychiatry (Canada) journal.

Advisory Roles in National Journals

• Clinical Psychopharmacology Bulletin (Editorial Board Member, Editor Assistant)
• Yeni Symposium (Advisory Board Member)
• Turkey Clinics Psychiatry Journal (Advisory Board Member)
• Popular Psychiatry (Editorial Board Member) Addiction Journal (Advisory Board Member)



Kemal Sayar has authored works that integrate psychiatric knowledge with literary and philosophical language to interpret the inner world of the individual. He is particularly known for his critiques and proposals regarding psychological challenges brought about by modernity. His books “Melancholy Illness”, “The Courage to Be” and “Now and Always” like offer analyses of the individual’s inner journey. In addition, in books such as “Mercy” and “Attachment”, he examines psychological dimensions of human social relationships and spiritual connections.

Sayar’s writings reflect an effort to establish connections between traditional East thought and modern psychology. His reflections on psychological well-being, spiritual fulfillment and social harmony have established him as one of the leading intellectual figures in psychiatry. Furthermore, by focusing on major contemporary issues such as digital addiction, individualization and loneliness, he has offered insightful solution to address the challenges faced by the modern individual.

In addition to his academic work, Kemal Sayar has reached a broad public through media. Through various television programs, newspaper articles and lectures, he has conducted awareness campaigns on psychology and human mental health, with particular emphasis on social trauma, stress management and the impact of modern life on individual, all of which have attracted significant attention. Sayar has also contributed to public psychological resilience by participating in projects in psychological counseling and guidance.

Moreover, through articles published in various journals and newspapers, Sayar has reached a wide reader audience and facilitated public understanding of psychological issues. His television programs and radio speeches have further enhanced his influence in the media by raising public awareness.

Kemal Sayar has become one of the pioneering figures in the field through his research on psychological resilience, positive psychology and community mental health. His theoretical frame on post-traumatic growth, spiritual psychology and emotion regulation have drawn attention in the academic world. His works exploring the link between psychological well-being and spirituality have introduced a new perspective to traditional psychiatric understanding.

Kemal Sayar is an important academic whose identity as a psychiatrist, literary sensibility and critical analyses of social issues converge in his work. His integration of psychiatry and literature provides insightful analyses of the human spiritual world. His writings and ideas continue to offer researchers new perspectives on human psychology in the modern world.