SonicFlyer

"Alcohol - the cause and solution of life's problems." - Homer (Simpson)

rpatte1637

I flew pipeline inspection for four years and all the training in the world can't keep you from being stressed in some situations. I had a engine lose a cylinder about five mile from a airport at 200 feet. Your training kicks in and you deal with it as best as possible. When you land it on the runway then all the stress kicks in, but in the air you just automatically do what you were trained to do from your first private lessons. I had a time that I had to make a decision whether to land in a cow pasture or a highway, you weigh your option and make the best decision possible for you, but you walk away and if your lucky after the problem is fixed, you crank it up and fly it out. I had a oil pressure line spring a leak and by the time I was able to land, I was down to 5 psi, but again you keep a watch on what your plane is doing and keep your options open. I lost an alternator once in Mississippi, but I knew that as long as I turned off all the power everything would be ok, so I shut everything down, stayed over my pipeline and flew three hours home to Atlanta. When I reached the airport I turned the battery back on, made my calls, landed and had the mechanic repair it, enjoyed my weekend and was back Monday morning to start all over again. The main thing is to know your limitation and the limitation of the plane and remember these planes are tougher than you might think. When something does go wrong of course your going to have that "OH SH**" moment, but don't panic, keep an eyes and ears on what the plane is doing and fly the plane. The worst thing you can do is panic, once you get on the ground and out of the situation, then you can be stressed. Believe me I was a little stressed after i was on the ground in each of these situation, but I learned a lot from each and know why we train so much for them when we first start our training. Like one of the other poster said, take time out to enjoy just flying for a while. Even on my worst days of flying pipeline, I looked forward to the next day. I'm currently out on medical leave and can't wait to get back in the cockpit, which is more than I can say about any of my other previous jobs. I wish you the best of luck and remember this is suppose to be fun not work.

BMEP100

Although not much talked about, diet or rather your body's reaction to certain foods can greatly affect your thyroid which in turn can affect your mood. This is more so,in women, but also shown to be true in men.

There is something called "the elimination diet", which is a good place to start. You will probably loose weight on it but for most North Americans, that's a good thing.

Also, take vitamin D3 supplements.

There are doctors that specialize in this area of medicine, but not many because insurance will pay for only some of the blood tests, and nearly none of the recommended supplements.

I know of one.

Look up "Leaky gut syndrome". It is a controversial diagnosis among the traditional medical community, because it requires extra training to treat, and there are no big pharmacy pills to prescribe (hence, no big money promoting study).

Macchi30

Thanks to everyone who replied

Today was a beautiful day out, so I went flying through the DC SFRA with another commercial student on a XC. It was very smooth and I just thought about everything you all suggested and advised in this thread, and I actually felt much better.

TiredSoul

Yes, many times during flight training.
Sometimes I couldn’t sleep the night before a flight. Especially a solo.
You’re learning a skill that could potentially kill you or save your life.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Trust the people around you.
I have returned from flights.
My brain just went to mush, Airport is behind you, turn back and land.
You may just be getting yourself too worked up.
Talk to your instructor and other students.
I’d be very hesitant you talk to a counselor or therapist that knows nothing about aviation.

zerozero

As long as no medication is prescribed there is no real concern about visiting a therapist. People should feel free to seek the help they need.

Glenntilton

If I can add anything to this, try "Calm" a magnesium powder.

rickair7777

Not true. It likely needs to be reported on your FAA medical.

If a diagnosis of a grounding condition was made, you are responsible to ground yourself. Lack of medication does not equal lack of diagnosis,

Keep in mind any medical professional is going to take notes. You can open up a big can of worms as a pilot, typical mental health professional will make the diagnosis pretty quickly, toss you a bottle of prozac and tell you to come back in six months. At that point you're unemployed and facing a long road to get your medical back.

An "aviation savvy" medical provider can help talk you through some things and provide some lifestyle advice without being too quick on the draw with a grounding diagnosis. These problems exist on a spectrum, traditional providers will throw meds at even the lower end of the spectrum but that's not always necessary.


Now with all that said, if you're having serious trouble, get help immediately. Worry about flying later.

zerozero

Lots of really bad advice here, but I'm not gonna argue about it.

Look, everyone has problems. Some people have stresses in their life and need extra help. Money, deaths, marriage, kids....Sometimes the stress alone makes one unfit for duty.

That doesn't mean you need medication. It may mean you need a BREAK.

Seeking help doesn't mean you're put on anti-depressants that need to be reported.

Advice like your's discourages people from getting the help they need out of fear for their career.

Respond if you like, I won't be debating this.

Excargodog

Correct across the board.
As for a non-aviation knowledgeable medical provider just putting you on Prizac and saying we'll re-evaluate in six months, you better believe it happens. Prozac and other antidepressants, as well as anxiolytics like Xanax get thrown around by some providers pretty freely. Look at all the opiate overdoses we have, many of whom were initially habituated through lax prescribing habits.


And seeing ANY medical provider, including a therapist, legally MUST be reported on your history under item 19, regardless of whether medication was prescribed. At that point it's up to the AME. With anxiety manifested directly due to flying, most of them would bump the decision to the Air Surgeon's office who would then send you here:

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...rot/psycheval/

Now at about the 99% level, your ultimate diagnosis will eventually be decided as adjustment disorder, mild, resolving.

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/...ent-disorder#1

And you will then be cleared back to flying, but as rickair notes, that's likely to be six months later, and likely after paying $5K for psychometric testing and consults that your insurance company will then deny because they were not strictly speaking MEDICALLY necessary.

And yeah, if this is really causing you problems that you are NOT getting over, go ahead and get it treated, because it is VERY treatable. But generally it does resolve without formal treatment, as it seems to be doing with you.