In response to some comments about pilots and mental health I might try to share my own experiences from the mental health perspective both a a pilot and as someone who worked in metal health care in the UK National Health Service.
The first thing we need to understand - all of us in society, not just in the aviation industry - is that mental illness is something that can affect anyone at any time and for any reason. Society attaches a stigma to mental illness that is unhelpful and this is bourne out of ignorance.
There are (very generally) two branches of the disease to consider. One is the long-term illness that affects the sufferer on a permanent or semi permanent basis. This may be as a result of brain injury, structural changes in the brain or electrochemical disturbances requiring long-term medication. These conditions are clearly incompatible with aviation and such people are considered unfit to hold a medical certification. An example would be schizophrenia.
The other branch is the shorter-term acute condition that affects the suffer for a limited time. The individual may suffer one episode or more in his lifetime. There are a variety of disorders but we generally talk about 'depression'. The problem with depression is that it is quite difficult to screen for. The rate of depression amongst flight crew is about the same as the national average. This is because depression can arise as a result of many external factors including stress, chronic fatigue and other illness. It is very difficult to pre-profile someone for a propensity to develop depression. Some individual can develop recurring episodes but provided you fall into type 2 and you are properly treated there is absolutely no reason why you might get a subsequent incidence. Furthermore, new treatments for depression make the suffer better able to deal with a range of challenges so we have started to see great improvements. The latest thinking even goes so far as to suggest a person successfully treated for common depression is actually less likely to develop a subsequent episode than a previous non-suffer, although the findings are complicated and I personally don't fully understand them.
You might think that we should start be screening out all those pilots ho have been diagnosed with depressive illness in the past. That would probably mean many pilots being pulled aside, most of whom have made full recoveries and returned to normal life and learnt a lot about themselves in the process. Also, these people tend to demonstrate great responsibility and have shown that they can deal with the illness through to recovery. Are we really sure we want to do this?
What we can't do very well at all predict who might get depressed in the future. In fact we are terrible at it. We can though identify factors that place people at risk and try to mitigate those factors. You, yes you, are just as likely to suffer from depression as me, and as the next person, as far as the statistics show. So better screening seems to achieve nothing other than highlight personality biases.
What is needed is a better approach to the reporting and treatment of mental illness and a way of educating people that they can seek help, get it and get fixed. The chap who posted the question 'you can get flagged up for marriage counselling now can't you' or words to that effect proves my point - no you won't get flagged up! You will show the ame that you can bring up, discuss and are prepared to resolve your issues. You will prove that you are responsible. Would this person conceal chest pain?
As pilots we need to be responsible not just when it comes to our professionalism on the flight deck but particularly when it comes to our own mental health. We all can suffer stress, worry, anxiety. We need a system that means we can go to for help if we need to. I bet there are many pilots who need help but don't seek it for fear of losing their medicals or losing their jobs. This needs to change.
Last edited by StatorVane; 26th Mar 2015 at 22:47.