Pilot well-being & Mental Illness
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Transcript of Pilot well-being & Mental Illness
Pilot well-being &
Mental IllnessBy: Abdur Syed & Ricardo Sousa
Facts about Mental Illness 20% of world pop. suffers from a mental illness
800 000 people commit suicide annually
Each suicide – 20 suicide attempts
Mental illness increase the risk of getting other diseases (HIV, cardiovascular disease and diabetes)
Rights of people with mental illness is usually ignored in many countries
1 child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people in underdeveloped and developing countries
0.05 psychiatrists and 0.42 nurses per 100 000 people in underdeveloped and developing countries
What are the most common
types? Major depression- Leading cause of disability in
developed countries
Addictions- another leading cause of disability
Understanding Mental Illness and
removing the stigma Please watch Youtube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQbtDaJCi0M
Mental illness is not contagious!
Mental illness is like any other sickness
Depression unlike just having a bad day
Paper cut is like a bad day and a leg amputation is like major depression, big difference
Mind is part of the body that can get sick but is treatable!
Only 25% of referrals to mental health professionals actually go
Mental illness is not a life sentence, you can live a full and successful life
We need to move from the stigma to treating sick people
5 barriers Public health agenda does not include mental
health
Low funding for mental health
Mental health not integrated within primary health
care
Shortages of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses,
psychologists and social workers
Lack of leadership
What we need to learn Mental illness is like any other sickness
Mental illness can be cured
Getting help when sick with mental illness is important
for recovery
Warning signs should be reported
Stigma of Mental Health in the
aviation community
Pilots face of a lot of stress :
Adapting to changing altitude and time zones
Irregular work schedules
Fatigue/ lack of sleep
A lot of changes in the aviation industry
Regular tests – adds to anxiety
Home sickness
Financial issues
Social/Relationship issues
Stigma of Mental Health in the
aviation industry
Pilots who report symptoms or mental illness take the
risk of having their medical certificates suspended or
revoked.
“Suck it up and do the job” culture
Pilots’ reported rates of depression / anxiety disorder is
lower than general public – “suffer in silence” situation
Crashes due to pilot’s mental
illness 6 Crashes since 1982
Killing 572 people
EgyptAir
SilkAir
Royal Air Maroc
Japan Airlines
LAM Mozambique Airlines
GermanWings
GermanWings 9525 Flight crash due to alleged mental ill co-pilot
The co-pilot locked the chief pilot out of cockpit and
crashed the aircraft into the French Alps
Doctors notes where found in the pilots apartment to not
work due to mental illness
Spent 18 months receiving psychiatric
Crash killed all 150 passengers on flight
Egypt Air 990 Co-pilot crashed the plane as an act
of revenge
Co-pilot was told he will not be flying Egypt-US routes due to his sexual misbehavior in US hotels
Transatlantic routes are higher paying
Chief of Egypt Air's Boeing 767 pilot group who made the decision was on board
Egypt does not agree with the findings
Mayday Episode – Very Interesting
British Airways Pilot murdered his wife and planned to crash his
aircraft
Wanted to “make a statement”
Suffering from stress due to his divorce
Called in sick - situation avoided
Pilot SuicideU.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found 24 pilot
suicides in 1993-2012, all involving small planes
What measures are already
taken Air Canada pilots get a behavioural assessment when they
are hired and require medical exams every year, and twice a year after the age of 60.
The Air Line Pilots Association International evaluates pilots’ behaviour and psychological well-being by trained professionals and medical examinations are done as frequently as 6 months
Transport Canada reviews pilot medical history to check for signs of psychosis and suicidal behavior
Airlines allow flight crew members to address concerns about a co-worker’s behavior and actions
Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat will now have two people in the cockpit at all times. – Transport Canada mandated
What measures are already taken
FAA (USA) lifted a restriction on airline pilots taking
anti-depressants to remove the stigma of mental
illness.
Pilots get a special certificate to fly, but have to be
regularly examined
Doctors or physicians performing compulsory annual
examination on flight crew must report any issues to
the government (Canada)
What are some solutions Create a dialogue about mental health to remove the stigma
Policies and procedures for medical leave for pilots - similar to maternity leave allowing them to recover and get back to work
Allow pilots to discuss or disclose their mental health without the fear of losing their license or medical certificate
Follow up by airlines and regulators to see pilot recovery
Airlines and regulators should know if pilots are in treatment for depression so they can be monitored
Make two pilots always present in the flight deck an international rule not just in US & Canada
What are some solutions Additional and thorough psychological examination during
medical tests
Provide pilots with therapy if needed
Track sleep during flight assignments to make sure pilots are getting enough sleep
Better scheduling
Provide sleep therapy for fatigue
Provide all flight crew members awareness and symptoms of mental illness – How to detect
Teach pilots how to deal with stress during pilot training
Sociological theory relating Conflict Theory :
Higher airline management may not want to spend more money on providing pilots with therapy and mental health care
Management wants to use pilots to their full potentials and may not want to give leave or less stressful schedules
Better physiological tests will be added cost to management
20% of pop. suffers from mental illnesses, so remaining 80% may not take it seriously
Reference Campbell, D. (March 16, 2002). Revenge drove pilot to crash plane, killing 217. The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/mar/16/duncancampbell
Crabb, J. (March 27, 2015). Plane Crash in France Raises Questions over Monitoring Mental Health for Pilots. CTV Winnipeg. Retrieved from http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/plane-crash-in-france-raises-questions-over-monitoring-mental-health-for-pilots-1.2300726
Mario Ritter. (April 02, 2015). Psychology, Stress Influence Pilots' Mental Health. In Learning English. Retrieved April 05, 2015, from http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/psychology-stress-influence-mental-health-pilots/2702704.html
Mayday Air Crash Investigation. (n.d.). Mayday Air Crash Investigation S03E08 Death and Denial Egypt Air 990. Youtube.com (Channel : Jery Solfly). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o9Zy1ViHdM
Monique Muise. (April 1, 2015). Canadian pilots subject to specific health rules, including disclosure of illnesses. In Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/canadian-pilots-subject-to-specific-health-rules-including-disclosure-of-illnesses
Quan, D. (March 26, 2015). Suicide by Plane Extremely Rare but ‘Suck It Up’ Culture Exists among Pilots over Mental Health. The National. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/suicide-by-plane-extremely-rare-but-suck-it-up-culture-exists-among-pilots-over-mental-health
Rakobowchuk, P. (March 27, 2015). Canadian Airlines Will Now Have Two Crew Members in Cockpits At All Times. CTV Winnipeg. Retrieved from http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/canadian-airlines-will-now-have-two-crew-members-in-cockpits-at-all-times-1.2298992
TEDx Talks. (May 4, 2013). No Health Without Mental Health: Denny Morrison at TEDxBloomington. In YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQbtDaJCi0M.
THE TELEGRAPH. (MARCH 30, 2015). British pilot who killed wife then planned to crash 747 shows airlines weak on mental health: victim's family. In The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved Sunday, April 5, 2015, from http://www.vancouversun.com/news/British+pilot+killed+wife+then+planned+crash+shows+airlines/10931469/story.html
World Health Organization. (n.d.). 10 FACTS ON MENTAL HEALTH. In World Health Organization. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/mental_health_facts/en/.