According to a recent review, hundreds of pilots both private and commercial suffer from various forms of mental illness, conditions range from schizophrenia to alcoholism and drug abuse. The Federal Aviation Administration or F.A.A., requires yearly medical evaluations for all pilots, and twice yearly for pilots over the age of forty. Pilots that have been deemed alcoholics are unable to fly and must go through a re-certification process and be enrolled in a post-rehabilitation program to attempt to become re-certified to fly. With changes in the F.A.A. policy, pilots allowed to fly while taking prescription anti-depressants, if they have been successful treated with them for at least a year, but these pilots only have a limited time to come forward and admit to treatment for mild to moderate depression to avoid punishment.
If you survey any large group of people, you will find that there are a percentage of people within the group with mental illnesses. These pilots while being afflicted with mental health issues are obviously seeking the medical help that they require. The thought of mentally unstable people having the absolute responsibility for all the lives on board the plane that they are flying, is an unsettling thought, but these pilots have been thoroughly evaluated and deemed sound. As for the issue of anti-depressant use among pilots, with the level of responsibility required of each pilot, I find it amazing that they are not all taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressants.
Marie, this was an interesting topic to blog. I'm wondering, how many pilots may be avoiding taking medication to avoid any form of penalty? After all, look at our economy, who in their right mind would willingly give up a high paying job now?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to check out your link, but it didn't work. I felt that your 1st sentence ran on. I would have put a period behind mental illness, then began my next sentence....Their conditions range from......
I can't imagine being a pilot in this day and age. I think I would have an unspoken fear with each and every flight, wondering what the passengers could be capable of doing.