Mental health in aviation

Mental health in aviation is a major concern among airlines, regulators, and passengers. This topic has gained more attention recently, especially after the 2015 Germanwings crash deliberately caused by the plane's copilot. There are many different causes but, as of now, there is almost no action taken to try and combat this issue. Little data exists on mental health in aviation, however steps to gather relevant information and provide better solutions are underway.

In Brazil's General Aviation sector, 10.2% of pilots who did not exercise regularly and 23.7% of pilots who have a heavy workload, showed signs of common mental disorders. It is commonly believed by the public that pilots are perfect; however this is not the case. Mental health problems are present in aviation, just like in any other industry, and more must be done to seek this out, both during the career of a pilot and at the hiring stages. It is important to have a wide variety of tests and screening processes to determine the true wellness of pilots.

In the United Kingdom, it was revealed that 350 pilots have been grounded since 2010 due to mental health issues.

Mental illness is second to cardiovascular disease in reasons for losing a medical license. One major issue is that most pilots on anti-depressant drugs, for example. withhold this information from their doctor or the governing body of aviation in their country, due to fear of losing their license. Detection is further complicated by the fact that few medical examiners fully understand the complexity and effects of the different disorders. Additionally, psychiatrists are unfamiliar with the regulations of pilots suffering from mental health issues. Even though pilots need to have their medical license renewed every 6 months by a certified medical examiner, there is little focus on mental health and no psychologist or psychiatrist follows up unless requested to do so by the pilot, which is rarely the case.

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