Mental Illness Among Pilots

Download or read book Mental Illness Among Pilots written by Diana Christine Semilia and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the global economy has grown and regions throughout the world have become more connected, air transportation holds a significant role in its ability to bring people and products together. In addition, the air domain is important and essential for the delivery of emergency and humanitarian aid relief. Aircraft can quickly transport medical supplies and organs, especially in situations where access is a problem. However, with these many positives, the aviation domain, unfortunately, has become more stressful for everyone involved. Crew members are expected to have extensive training, as well as the skills and confidence to appropriately handle any situation. Moreover, pilots need to pay attention to weather, airport conditions, state of their aircraft, and also be mindful of other aircraft flying in the vicinity. Flight crew must maintain a constant awareness of any issues to make necessary reforms, and sometimes quick decisions, without hesitation. Terrorism immediately comes to mind for many people in thinking about threats to flight safety. However, psychological problems among pilots may pose additional threats of their own. For clarity, the term "psychological problems" will be used synonymously alongside those of the like such as "mental illness," "mental health condition," "psychiatric condition," and more. Regardless of the terminology used, the idea is to understand the outcome of such can be catastrophic. With cycles of stigma existing in the aviation domain, pilots have been reluctant to disclose mental health problems for fear of losing their certification to fly. Many pilots may be managing depressive symptoms without treatment due to fear of negative career impacts. In fact, experts found, "Underreporting of mental health symptoms and diagnoses is probable among airline pilots due to the public stigma of mental illness and fear among pilots of being 'grounded' or not fit for duty" (as cited in Wu et al., 2016, p. 2). On the other hand, Cahill et al. (2020) found there are several others who may not even be aware of their underlying mental health condition and are treating their pain as a normal day-to-day aspect (p. 527). As a result, psychological problems among pilots have essentially been a hidden threat to flight safety. Because of unique and challenging working conditions of pilots, the aviation domain, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), should encourage and provide support for treatment of mental illnesses with the same concern as any other physical illness or injury.