ADHD, medication and class 1 medical
Join Date: May 2008
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Thanks to the OP for starting this topic and listing a lot of my thoughts already. I have a very similar situation and I don't know where to go from here.
-I have a PPL for 4 years and fly on a casual basis (spent 2-3 years getting my license, just doing 1 lesson per month for fun).
-I have no intention to do any commercial flying.
-I have a Class 2 medical and PPL license (SEP).
-Also have an excellent career, I'm a businessman with multiple businesses and a high education level.
-As a child I was diagnosed as being "hyperactive" by a doctor (back in the 80's when ADHD was not really well known).
I've had over the past few years some trouble with my back. A company doctor said to me after a few visits "I think you might have some kind of hyperactivity/ADHD... go see another doctor".
So, I did. I was diagnosed then with ADHD. Relatively very mild - I'm 30 now and have coped well and made a successful life for myself. Yes I'm very "busy", have many many hobbies, love to challenge myself... but can often be easily frustrated, find it difficult to let things go that bother me, often day-dreaming and also can hyper-focus on something which challenges me. Being mentally very active also makes it often difficult for me to fall asleep. For most of my symptoms I have throughout my life simply formed coping techniques without knowing it.
I think I agree with the diagnosis of ADHD and they've now started giving me some coaching to deal with it. Many of my "symptoms" I would not say have much of a negative effect on my life. Some even enhance my life and help to make me who I am.
For this reason I have asked for no medicine, but just advice and coaching about how to deal with the effects which are negative (sleep trouble, frustration and sometimes anger, time management and planning, etc).
I have also instructed the psychologist not to inform my GP or company doctor of any results.
At the moment I'm officially diagnosed, and as far as I know I'm required to inform the necessary authorities.
But I don't want the ADHD stamp on my head. I know for sure it has no effect on my flying ability (I've even had much praise from instructors and examiners for my flying aptitude). I know the authorities would just take away my license and I don't think it's fair.
So... what do I do? Tell the authorities and hope they don't throw away my license after all the training, money and energy I put into getting it?
Or just stop all treatment and pretend I was never diagnosed? Tell them to throw away all records of my diagnosis.
I'm quite worried to be honest. I've had one coaching session and now have 2 weeks to decide if I want to continue.
It's really a shame they don't recognise the scale and variability of the condition.
To the OP - did you ever get a decision from the CAA? Do you know if there's a difference between Class 1 vs 2?
Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.
Cheers
Matt
-I have a PPL for 4 years and fly on a casual basis (spent 2-3 years getting my license, just doing 1 lesson per month for fun).
-I have no intention to do any commercial flying.
-I have a Class 2 medical and PPL license (SEP).
-Also have an excellent career, I'm a businessman with multiple businesses and a high education level.
-As a child I was diagnosed as being "hyperactive" by a doctor (back in the 80's when ADHD was not really well known).
I've had over the past few years some trouble with my back. A company doctor said to me after a few visits "I think you might have some kind of hyperactivity/ADHD... go see another doctor".
So, I did. I was diagnosed then with ADHD. Relatively very mild - I'm 30 now and have coped well and made a successful life for myself. Yes I'm very "busy", have many many hobbies, love to challenge myself... but can often be easily frustrated, find it difficult to let things go that bother me, often day-dreaming and also can hyper-focus on something which challenges me. Being mentally very active also makes it often difficult for me to fall asleep. For most of my symptoms I have throughout my life simply formed coping techniques without knowing it.
I think I agree with the diagnosis of ADHD and they've now started giving me some coaching to deal with it. Many of my "symptoms" I would not say have much of a negative effect on my life. Some even enhance my life and help to make me who I am.
For this reason I have asked for no medicine, but just advice and coaching about how to deal with the effects which are negative (sleep trouble, frustration and sometimes anger, time management and planning, etc).
I have also instructed the psychologist not to inform my GP or company doctor of any results.
At the moment I'm officially diagnosed, and as far as I know I'm required to inform the necessary authorities.
But I don't want the ADHD stamp on my head. I know for sure it has no effect on my flying ability (I've even had much praise from instructors and examiners for my flying aptitude). I know the authorities would just take away my license and I don't think it's fair.
So... what do I do? Tell the authorities and hope they don't throw away my license after all the training, money and energy I put into getting it?
Or just stop all treatment and pretend I was never diagnosed? Tell them to throw away all records of my diagnosis.
I'm quite worried to be honest. I've had one coaching session and now have 2 weeks to decide if I want to continue.
It's really a shame they don't recognise the scale and variability of the condition.
To the OP - did you ever get a decision from the CAA? Do you know if there's a difference between Class 1 vs 2?
Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.
Cheers
Matt
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Perth, WA
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Matt, I am not a medical doctor but have had cause to consider the power of labels in the aviation medical process. Your country is known to be more enlightened than many others when it comes to commonsense interpretations of law and regulation but I have no idea if this extends to PPL medicals.
Given the borderline nature of your diagnosis, and fact that you are not requiring any medication, I would be going back to your specialist and exploring the possibility of another label for your condition. There must be a continuum in these things and if we were going to exclude occasional slightly odd behaviour, who among us would occupy the cockpit?
In Australia the examiner for the Class 2 medical has some small discretion in how things are reported but, from a practical rather than purist stance, I'd be doing all I could to lose the label. I'd certainly not be giving up what might be described as 'lifestyle counselling' sessions either!
If the worst came to the worst, is there any recreational flying (with reduced medical requirement) that would work for you and keep you in the air?
Given the borderline nature of your diagnosis, and fact that you are not requiring any medication, I would be going back to your specialist and exploring the possibility of another label for your condition. There must be a continuum in these things and if we were going to exclude occasional slightly odd behaviour, who among us would occupy the cockpit?
In Australia the examiner for the Class 2 medical has some small discretion in how things are reported but, from a practical rather than purist stance, I'd be doing all I could to lose the label. I'd certainly not be giving up what might be described as 'lifestyle counselling' sessions either!
If the worst came to the worst, is there any recreational flying (with reduced medical requirement) that would work for you and keep you in the air?
Join Date: Jan 2001
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I too am suspect of all these labels which seem to be a desire often by parents to excuse bad behaviour at school from the bad parenting of the parents.
So much easier to attach a label that little timothy suffers with XYZ rather than we are **** parents who allow our spoilt brat to run amok and do what they want at will.
its not like you can go for blood tests and find a Doctor who will tell you that you carry the ADHD virus or gene so any diagnosis will be on behaviour which could be for numerous reasons and perfectly normal through life events rather than a mysterious Quango condition?
I am not medically qualified so this is just an observation but I think you are causing yourself big problems not just in aviation but in your life by attaching a label to yourself to excuse your own behaviour rather than sorting that behaviour.
Its only too easy to say its not my fault that I behave in this way because I suffer with ABC rather than facing up to that behaviour and doing something to sort it! The easy way is not always the right way for parents and problem kids but the excuse way and too many in the medical world are only too happy to apply those labels with no real evidence
Pace
So much easier to attach a label that little timothy suffers with XYZ rather than we are **** parents who allow our spoilt brat to run amok and do what they want at will.
its not like you can go for blood tests and find a Doctor who will tell you that you carry the ADHD virus or gene so any diagnosis will be on behaviour which could be for numerous reasons and perfectly normal through life events rather than a mysterious Quango condition?
I am not medically qualified so this is just an observation but I think you are causing yourself big problems not just in aviation but in your life by attaching a label to yourself to excuse your own behaviour rather than sorting that behaviour.
Its only too easy to say its not my fault that I behave in this way because I suffer with ABC rather than facing up to that behaviour and doing something to sort it! The easy way is not always the right way for parents and problem kids but the excuse way and too many in the medical world are only too happy to apply those labels with no real evidence
Pace
Last edited by Pace; 9th Jul 2015 at 15:22.
Join Date: May 2008
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Thanks all for your advice. I think I'm going to stop immediately with any more treatment and pretend I never had a diagnosis. I had already instructed the doctor to not inform my GP, so actually there's nothing on my record as far as I'm aware. Only thing now is that whenever I'm asked in future "have you ever been diagnosed with a psychological condition" I have to lie and say no
But in any case I can continue self-treating by exploring and researching the behaviour/condition. Just have to do it without a professional, which is a shame really.
Thanks!
Matt
But in any case I can continue self-treating by exploring and researching the behaviour/condition. Just have to do it without a professional, which is a shame really.
Thanks!
Matt
