ABSTRACT
Psychological problems within the pilot population are an insidious threat to safety because of impairments to task performance. The FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) guide for AME’s (aviation medical examiners) includes specific requirements with regard to the psychiatric assessment and medical exclusions for mental health problems and these are very similar to the criteria stipulated by most other regulatory authorities worldwide. Severe psychological disturbance among pilots is rare but just as in other occupational groups, they may, however, suffer from a range of psychological difficulties which may be mild to moderate in severity and in most cases be transient and treatable (Bor and Hubbard, 2006; Bor et al., 2002; Elliot, 2013). As is the case with many mental health conditions, shame associated with social stigma and failure to access timely and appropriate treatment may increase the severity and duration of symptoms, thereby potentially leading to more serious and possibly intractable psychiatric problems. The prevention of mental health problems and reduction of stigma in the workplace associated with mental illness must be a priority in aviation. EASA made this the sixth and final recommendation of their action plan for carriers following the Germanwings pilot suicide crash in 2015.
