Class 1 Medical with ongoing psychotherapy

[FuturePilot6]

Hi,

I am now studying my last year in high school and soon can apply to a flight school. Before that I need to get my Class 1 Medical issued so I can apply for the school I want to apply for, but I have a slight problem.

During my second year in high school, I started to get some kind of anxiety in all matters. I went to the psychologist - no help. I was thinking to get some SSRI's - didn't want to. I wen't to psychotherapy - no anxiety anymore, but I developed some sort of stage fright. The stage fright comes up when I, for example, have to give a presentation for my class and it drives me crazy.

I still go to psychotherapy and can see progress but still haven't gotten rid of the stage fright. Can I get a Class 1 Medical issued with ongoing psychotherapy? I go there because of the stage fright, not anxiety. Any help is appreciated.

[Homsap]

There have been various threads on pprune about gaining a Class One medical, having suffered a variety of mental health problems, some have suceeded. The position between one aviation authority may differ. Again aviation authorities may depend on a indepedant pychiatrist's report.

If you do get a class one medical and complete you training you have an ongoing problem is that might find it difficult to gain employment with an airline based on your medical records, although they might give another reason. Obviously after the Germanwing accident, airlines, aviation authorities and insurers are likely to be very cautious and nervous over mental health issues.

I'm sure this is not what you want to hear, but it would be very risky to spend say £100,000 on a pilot's training course, because of the uncertanty in respect of employment based on your medical records.

I have to say from my experience, I can think of several occassions when experienced pilots have developed anxieties in their thirties and forties, this included a RAF C130 captain, a BAC 111 copilot, and a RAF Tornado navigator. The difference is with you is that it sounds like you are at the begining of your career, and maybe you can build on your confidence and work on your anxety. I am a little sceptical about psychotherary, you are quite young and perhaps can resolve this now. We all find giving breifings, lectures and public speaking difficult at the begining of our careers, but it becomes quite easy. My suggestion you join a local theatre group, even if you start backstage, join a choir or in the UK there our evening courses on public speaking.

Finally, I think certain SSRI's are legal in the United States for airline pilot's, and I am not sure what the position is with the UK CAA, but whever you are, i doubt it would held if you have to declare taking them at the begining of your career., so you are wise not to take SSRIs.

Finally, there is another recent thread on PPRUNE - MEDICAL, regarding gaining a UK CAA class one with a history of depession, orginally he was turned down, but now has been accepted, you might want to PM him. best of luck.

[FuturePilot6]

Thank you for your answer. So do you think it is better that I wait for my stage fright "to fade out" by going to therapy and then apply for Class 1 Medical? I have noticed progress in my therapy process and I believe in that I can become a better person to perform in the future, realistically I'll apply for a flight school in Winter 2018/Summer 2019.

[RatherBeFlying]

A lot depends on your national CAA. Some medical forms only ask about conditions treated by a medical practitioner. Others may include non-medical practitioners such as psychologists.

There are many kinds of psychotherapies. Your CAA may be apprehensive of some while unconcerned, even completely ignorant, about others.

A history of anti anxiety medication prescribed by a psychiatrist will be concerning to most CAAs while several years of membership in a Toastmasters Club won't be. The underlying condition may be the same.

We all encounter stress and anxiety. Younger people entering adulthood are often in a stressful period.

Have a careful look at your national medical standards and forms. Choose your therapy accordingly.

[B2N2]

How does this stage fright manifest itself?
Lots of people, even famous actors and singers have stage fright.
Taking any prescription medication will need to be reported during a medical and a lot, I mean a lot are not approved for use by pilots.
If this is therapy to help you over teenage shyness I don’t see a problem with it.
If this is a diagnosed fobia we’re looking at something else altogether.
When does talking to a therapist become a problem?
I don’t know, it’s a grey area.
Really only you and your doctor will be able to answer that question.

[FuturePilot6]

Are there any pilots with social anxiety? I think that's my problem and it might go away with therapy, I don't want to take any medication for it.

[B2N2]

You’re in High school and have the luxury that you can wait a couple of years.
Get a good education before you consider flight school and you may find that this was just a teenage phase you went through.

[FuturePilot6]

It isn't a teenage phase, trust me. I know you have heard this from many people, I've been doing everything since a kid to make "the dream" possible, many people wouldn't even go get help I reckon. I have flown GA aircraft many times and even got the privilege to travel on a jumpseat of an airliner and it felt so natural for me.

So it's not a teenage phase, I am just "trapped inside my head." I feel a lot better than I felt a few months ago, nowadays I can raise my hand in class and even solve a math problem on the whiteboard in front of the class. I just was wondering if it is better to wait a bit and when I feel "more secure", I'll apply for the medical.

[B2N2]

I meant that your social issues may very well be a teenage thing that you’ll grow out of with the proper guidance and not your will to be a pilot.

[Fursty Ferret]

If you do get a class one medical and complete you training you have an ongoing problem is that might find it difficult to gain employment with an airline based on your medical records, although they might give another reason.

The airline shouldn't ask for such information. Either you hold a Class 1 medical, or you don't. If you do, that's all they need to know, since your AME will be renewing it each year and it's them you must satisfy, not your employer.

If it delayed your training, or led to a gap, then be honest and say that you temporarily lost your medical.

Germanwings threw a light on mental health problems in aviation but if anything at my airline it's reinforced the fact that it's not necessarily career-ending (or limiting) and support is now there for those who need it, whether through colleagues, managers, or AMEs.

[Mac the Knife]

Stage-fright is one thing, pervasive chronic anxiety is another.

I used to have frightful stage-fright when I started having to give papers or talks at scientific meetings.
Shakin' like a dog :mad: peach-pits - as they say in Georgia . . .

Gradually this wore off; perhaps getting wiser, perhaps getting more confident in what I was talking about - perhaps realising that the people out there were no better (and maybe no worse!) than I was. Also a belief that I had something to give them in the way of information or insights that just might make a difference.

Practice, practice - go for walks and give your talk to the sheep, then shout it to the cows, then to the clouds, so that you can speak without notes and extemporise.

Pervasive chronic anxiety seems to do better with cognitive behaviour therapy than pills, so you may want to consider that. I'm glad that your nervousness, for that may be all that it is, is improving with time and treatment - that is an excellent sign.

Good luck and best wishes.

:ok: