Originally Posted by
Crown
Rick, you strike me as the kind of guy that if you saw a pilot reading a book on how to combat anxiety, you'd turn them in for not being able to exercise their medical.
Your opinion on this issue is exactly why pilots are so afraid of seeing therapists. You're the type who puts the fear in pilots that the only doc they see is their AME once or twice a year and that's it.
I strongly encourage you to delete your posts. Your type of thinking is not only dangerous, but toxic to our profession.
??? You are going off WAY half-cocked here, go read all my posts again, carefully and pay attention. You're completely mischaracterizing my attitude. I advocated FOR doing your own research and trying self-help, if possible. If that doesn't work, or you're in dire straits, absolutely get professional help. Go to the ER or call 9/11 if you need to.
I'm also pointing out that the system is unforgiving. I have zero input or impact on the "the system" or official attitudes. I'm just telling you how it is, I would like to see it improved, but nothing I personally can do about that.
This isn't like beards and man-buns... old school attitudes amongst pilots aren't holding back progress. This is 100% on .gov bureaucrats (the ones in question might be MD's but few are actually pilots). Until they change, I'll still advise that you be careful and try to strike a balance.
Many "normal" people who hit a rough spot can deal with it themselves once they understand what's going on, and make some changes. If you still live in Mom's basement, then sure run to a therapist, take some LTD, and wait a year or three for OKC to get back to you. But other people have financial obligations and families to care for.
There are of course some folks who simply have a chronic condition who will need ongoing professional treatment and usually meds. A handful of those are legally flying today, so that's some progress... ten years ago the number was zero.