OCD meds and CPL flying legalities, South Africa

[MJC777]

Good evening.

I am hoping to start the process of obtaining my PPL and then my CPL. I am a South African living in South Africa.

Before I begin the process, which is extremely expensive needless to say, I need to know if having OCD disqualifies me from becoming a pilot as a career.

I am currently using 20mg of Paroxetine per day. I am sure I could get an alternative medication prescribed to me if this particular medication was on the "banned" list.

Can anyone here either answer my question or put me in touch with someone who can? I need a definitive answer as I am seriously considering this a career.

Best regards.

[cavortingcheetah]

It's difficult to write nicely about one's experiences with the SA CAA medical authority and avoid libel possibilities.
I had some dealings with them a few years back and involved my specialist medical consultant in those discussions. Both he and I were of the opinion that the female CAA doctor, who had received at least some training in Alabama USA, was not fit for any medical purpose.
This must have been about seven years ago I suppose and the South African pilot supply system was as dominated by the SAA recruitment intakes as it ever had been before. There was significant pressure to ensure that SAA recruited only from the category of the previously disadvantaged. This translated into making it as difficult as possible for those who were apparently not of the previously disadvantaged to either obtain or keep Class 1 medicals.
If you have not been able to find a medical algorithm pr protocol in the CAA medical pages, as here below for instance then I suppose your best bet would be to have a chat with whichever doctor is prescribing your medicine. An alternative approach would be to undergo a Class 1 medical with a DAME but once you've done that, the cat is out of the box, so to speak.

Recently Amended Aviation Protocols (http://www.caa.co.za/Pages/Aviation%20Medicine/Recently_amended_protocols.aspx)

Here's what the UK CAA has to offer on psychiatry:

https://www.caa.co.uk/Aeromedical-Examiners/Medical-standards/Pilots-(EASA)/Conditions/Psychiatry/Psychiatry-guidance-material-GM/

None of that is terribly helpful I'm afraid. It might serve to get a dialogue going on these boards that would bring you better information from a newer source than me. I would go quite carefully and be aware that you will almost certainly have to tick a box on the medical application form if you have or do suffer from a psychiatric problem. You have outlined two problems of course, what you're on and why you're on it. I have found the SA CAA medical system to be prejudiced, ignorant, inefficient and unsympathetic. You may draw your own conclusions and I regret being a source of such negativity in the career pathway of an ambitious young person.

[flash8]

OCD is relatively low down as you may be aware in terms of severity of psychiatric disorders, any form of psychosis, whether depressive or schizophrenic (especially) I think would be viewed far more seriously. In the majority of OCD cases (which I believe is classed as a Personality disorder under DSM, or at least was, PD classifications are "committee" driven often by cultural norms) no medication is needed (perhaps psychotherapeutic intervention), the drug you are taking though (just looked it up) as an SSRI is somewhat stronger than an anxiolytic (standard fobbing off material, benzodiazepines such as Valium, yes my knowledge is dated on drugs).

Many people (including Pilots) suffer from OCD (but keep it to themselves), myself I suspect to a minor (not at all debilitating, but annoying) degree.... I can't see it being a disbar but I'm afraid I'm not a Medical Professional (all my knowledge comes from working with a Psychiatrist during my final year project many years ago into Expert Systems in Medicine).

Unless psychiatry has changed the last twenty years I'd say you were well on the low end of seriousness.

Good luck!

[421dog]

As a pilot, surgeon, and AME, being a little OCD has served me well. It might be worth seeing if going off meds (assuming you won’t be afflicted with debilitating needs to check your sock drawer), would work.

if you’re in this situation, you’re clearly fairly high-functioning, and I rather doubt that a little SSRI is all that’s keeping you from the brink....

Natuurlik, kan jou kilometers wissel ...🧙*♀️

[desert goat]

Same here, as what 421dog said. I can't offer any advice on the SA system as I'm not from there. But I personally have found mild OCD to be a useful thing in some ways. For instance, after 2500 hours of flying I still can't bring myself to get in to an aeroplane without re-checking that the oil cap is tight, even if I'm sure I closed it when I put the oil in earlier. Similarly, "Gear down and locked" gets checked several times, never just the once.

So I think you'll find that as long as it isn't a severe case, you'll be able to channel it in ways that turn it in to a good thing, rather than an impediment. The beaureucrats may not see it that way, but that's another story.