Originally Posted by
rickair7777
You are wrong. None of what you said matters at all.
The FAA will 100% consider her to be a "Healthcare Professional". So you have to report the visit. What do you say? "I was feeling kind of blue"? The FAA will defer/deny your medical and send you for further evaluation... they might (probably) want that part to involve an MD.
Two issues:
Block 18. Here the jeopardy is trying to rationalize what is and is not a "diagnosis". I can tell you what the FAA will think, but of course you can have your opinion. You Do You. NTSB will decide the appeal.
Block 19. Going to leave that blank? What are you going to put for "REASON"?
You're correct that she doesn't have to report much to any authorities, patient confidentiality, etc. But that doesn't mean you can lie to the FAA. See the --NOTICE-- at the bottom of the form.
If you're proposing just getting care and not reporting it, or lying about the nature of the care, well yeah people do that. Don't get caught.
But if they find out, it's not going to be OK.
Rick, you make it sound as if you're risking your medical just to go talk to a counselor. That's just not the case. This is a quote from the AMAS website referring specifically to Block 19: (emphasis added)
FAA Reporting Requirements
A 1991 change in the reporting requirements on FAA Form 8500-8 mandated all visits to health care providers, including counselors and psychologists, were required to be reported on each physical. The Federal Air Surgeon (FAS) wrote a letter to all Aviation Medical Examiner’s (AMEs) in September 1992 acknowledging that the effect of this interpretation of the 8500-8’s instructions discouraged pilots from seeking mental health assistance. The FAS indicated that the FAA encourages pilots to seek assistance for all conditions, but does not want to restrict flying for those conditions that did not affect flying safety. His clarification, later incorporated into the explanation section of question 19 on the 8500-8, stated that visits to mental health professionals were reportable ONLY if it was due to alcohol/substance abuse OR resulted in a personal psychiatric diagnosis.
Full article here:
https://www.aviationmedicine.com/art...gical-support/
Also see the instructions for form 8500-8 block 19
19.
VISITS TO HEALTH PROFESSIONAL WITHIN LAST 3 YEARS – List all visits in the last 3 years to a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, clinical social worker, or substance abuse specialist for treatment, examination, or medical/mental evaluation. List visits for counseling only if related to a personal substance abuse or psychiatric condition. Give date, name, address, and type of health professional consulted and briefly state reason for consultation. Multiple visits to one health professional for the same condition may be aggregated on one line. Routine dental, eye and FAA periodic medical examinations and consultations with your employer-sponsored employee assistance program (EAP) may be excluded unless the consultations were for your substance abuse or unless the consultations resulted in referral for psychiatric evaluation or treatment. See NOTE below.
The bottom line, IMHO, is if you feel you need to talk to a counselor, do it!