Thanks, TG - I’m no doctor/other medical professional, but I continue to be unsure how an IQ test & mental health are related (especially without a baseline exam), but this is yet another account of their widespread usage. It’s disconcerting.
It’s my understanding that test results weren’t released in a quantifiable fashion, but rather qualitatively (and likely unofficially). As you alluded to, I hope all cases where the testing/quantifiable results were favorable but an SI was not given centered on issues of some kind after or outside of the testing/evaluation (example: relapse in the case of an alcoholic or drug addict after testing showed no brain damage). Those cases are not only understandable, but, frankly, I commend the FAA & AME’s for denying/not supporting the SI in those situations - no one (not the pilot themself, other pilots in their pilot group, the flying public, the company or the FAA/AME) benefits from an SI being issued in a case like that. I’m not sure if I’m not getting the full story or if there really are somewhat arbitrary SI denials even with positive testing results that occur.
Again, thanks for the help.
Originally Posted by
tomgoodman
I served on a HIMS committee several years ago, and in cases involving substance abuse (which were the only kind we dealt with at that time), IQ and other mental tests were used to check for brain damage. Judging the effectiveness of such tests was above my pay grade.
Test results are not supposed to be released, and even if they were “favorable”, the SI could have been denied for other reasons. In my experience, most denials were for non-compliance with aftercare instructions or for a bad attitude. Appeals were rarely successful.