Pilot Mental Health - Impacts of job
#21
Compared to an E-3 within rocket or mortar range of bad guys out to get him, Hell yes. But it's like management executives,,, yiu get what you negotiate, not necessarily what you are worth. It's the American way...
#22
Disinterested Third Party
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,758
Likes: 74
"Cake walk?" Your words. You quote me, insert your words, and ask me to agree? How is a "cake walk" relevant to pay?
Pay does not emeliorate stress, nor emotional nor mental affliction. It can reduce fiscal stress. A comfortable pay does not mean, nor imply that one will be unaffected by stresses, nor does it imply that one manages that pay effectively.
Furthermore, simply becuase one has a good job that one may enjoy does not mean that pay is therefore excessive; to make such a connection is a fallacy, and implies that good pay is only acceptable if one dislikes one's job or finds it a hardship (the unspoken collorary to which is that one's pay should be reduced if the job is easy or enjoyable). Idiotic.
If making the comparison to those who live lives of poverty or hardship, your question implies that if the job is easy ("a cakewalk"), then it implies overpay relative to those who have a harder life or lower pay. It overlooks the obvious; that those in poverty are underpaid, which is far more conducive to stress and subsequent hardship, and mental and emotional toll. If indeed we are overpaid then that doesnot contribute to mental or emotional abnormality, unless one suffers from guilt associated with the pay. Either way, a pointless sidetrack to the thread.
Whether we are overpaid or not is irrelevant to the subject of the thread.
Pay does not emeliorate stress, nor emotional nor mental affliction. It can reduce fiscal stress. A comfortable pay does not mean, nor imply that one will be unaffected by stresses, nor does it imply that one manages that pay effectively.
Furthermore, simply becuase one has a good job that one may enjoy does not mean that pay is therefore excessive; to make such a connection is a fallacy, and implies that good pay is only acceptable if one dislikes one's job or finds it a hardship (the unspoken collorary to which is that one's pay should be reduced if the job is easy or enjoyable). Idiotic.
If making the comparison to those who live lives of poverty or hardship, your question implies that if the job is easy ("a cakewalk"), then it implies overpay relative to those who have a harder life or lower pay. It overlooks the obvious; that those in poverty are underpaid, which is far more conducive to stress and subsequent hardship, and mental and emotional toll. If indeed we are overpaid then that doesnot contribute to mental or emotional abnormality, unless one suffers from guilt associated with the pay. Either way, a pointless sidetrack to the thread.
Whether we are overpaid or not is irrelevant to the subject of the thread.
#23
There has long been a trend toward overmedicating mental and emotional conditions, rather than treating the root, and much of the time, it's not chemical. But therein runs the schism between psychology and psychiatry.
A disturbing effort seems to be a growing undercurrent that wants to legitimize mental and emotional conditions to make them paletable and acceptable for flight, the idea being that pilots will reveal them if they think they can fly with that condition. In many cases, thy shouldn't be flying with that condition; the FAA. knows it. The pilot knows it. The pilot hides it to prevent the FAA from knowing about it, and grounding the pilot, when the pilot should be grounded.
The FAA is concerned about medication, but in all cases, the chief concern is the underlying condition for which the medication is taken.
Far more go without medication than with; the undiagnosed or untreated go absent aids or a course of therapy, whether pharmaceutical, counseling, or otherwise. It does no one any good to explain away the condition as the result of a flying career. The blam game only goes so far, and does nothing for diagnosis, let alone treatment. Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome is not a thing; it's a farce spoken among those too weak to own up to the responsibility for the fialure of their own marriage, and the inability to own it leads to failure to move past, and anger...which turned inward, is depression, and worse. The career is an easy scapegoat. The same is true of porn addiction, gambling addiction, alcohol, drugs, etc. The career is low-hanging fruit, but to hide behind the fringe of hours and hotels and time on the road is to lie to one's self, and a failure to own. The victim of self is the apologist, and the apology is stale, but rampant.
A disturbing effort seems to be a growing undercurrent that wants to legitimize mental and emotional conditions to make them paletable and acceptable for flight, the idea being that pilots will reveal them if they think they can fly with that condition. In many cases, thy shouldn't be flying with that condition; the FAA. knows it. The pilot knows it. The pilot hides it to prevent the FAA from knowing about it, and grounding the pilot, when the pilot should be grounded.
The FAA is concerned about medication, but in all cases, the chief concern is the underlying condition for which the medication is taken.
Far more go without medication than with; the undiagnosed or untreated go absent aids or a course of therapy, whether pharmaceutical, counseling, or otherwise. It does no one any good to explain away the condition as the result of a flying career. The blam game only goes so far, and does nothing for diagnosis, let alone treatment. Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome is not a thing; it's a farce spoken among those too weak to own up to the responsibility for the fialure of their own marriage, and the inability to own it leads to failure to move past, and anger...which turned inward, is depression, and worse. The career is an easy scapegoat. The same is true of porn addiction, gambling addiction, alcohol, drugs, etc. The career is low-hanging fruit, but to hide behind the fringe of hours and hotels and time on the road is to lie to one's self, and a failure to own. The victim of self is the apologist, and the apology is stale, but rampant.
The pressure of not meeting societal expectations and our own expectations is real. Que japanese cubical worker leaping. Orphaned child soldiers will have anxiety and depression from the PTSD when their life slows down and they are out of survival mode. Que the American soldier who makes it back and eats breakfast at a Waffle House.
#24
Meds held you when the train has so far left the station that CBT won’t do a thing. Stress on the brain and nervous system are well known and studied. It’s rarely pathological. Just need to slow the train down so you can life coach, CBT, etc.
The pressure of not meeting societal expectations and our own expectations is real. Que japanese cubical worker leaping. Orphaned child soldiers will have anxiety and depression from the PTSD when their life slows down and they are out of survival mode. Que the American soldier who makes it back and eats breakfast at a Waffle House.
The pressure of not meeting societal expectations and our own expectations is real. Que japanese cubical worker leaping. Orphaned child soldiers will have anxiety and depression from the PTSD when their life slows down and they are out of survival mode. Que the American soldier who makes it back and eats breakfast at a Waffle House.
Im asking you to consider the possibility of tens of thousands of pilots having flown hundreds of thousands of hours while having had to deal with adult stuff.
Not every single thing has to be diagnosed.
#25
Prime Minister/Moderator

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 44,841
Likes: 653
From: Engines Turn or People Swim
https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...ns-2024-04-01/
FAA appointed advisory panel recommends that "talk therapy" not trigger the mandatory reporting requirement.
Also suggests a grandfather/amnesty for past mental health issues.
FAA appointed advisory panel recommends that "talk therapy" not trigger the mandatory reporting requirement.
Also suggests a grandfather/amnesty for past mental health issues.
#26
Line Holder
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 51
Likes: 2
https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...ns-2024-04-01/
FAA appointed advisory panel recommends that "talk therapy" not trigger the mandatory reporting requirement.
Also suggests a grandfather/amnesty for past mental health issues.
FAA appointed advisory panel recommends that "talk therapy" not trigger the mandatory reporting requirement.
Also suggests a grandfather/amnesty for past mental health issues.
#27
Disinterested Third Party
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,758
Likes: 74
Decided to come clean to the FAA.
You didn't disclose treatment received while a military helicopter pilot, and later elected to disclose it. Yours was not the result of the hard, difficult, arduous airline life with it's "endless" nights in hotels and the overnights. Yours was combat-related, and your FAA disclosure, detailed in the above-linked thread, simply revealing what you didn't tell the FAA at the outset, prior to beginning your cargo airline career.
#28
Prime Minister/Moderator

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 44,841
Likes: 653
From: Engines Turn or People Swim
Yours was decidedly not a case of an airline pilot driven to madness, depression, or "anxiety."
https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pilot-health/146154-decided-come-clean-faa.html
You didn't disclose treatment received while a military helicopter pilot, and later elected to disclose it. Yours was not the result of the hard, difficult, arduous airline life with it's "endless" nights in hotels and the overnights. Yours was combat-related, and your FAA disclosure, detailed in the above-linked thread, simply revealing what you didn't tell the FAA at the outset, prior to beginning your cargo airline career.
https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pilot-health/146154-decided-come-clean-faa.html
You didn't disclose treatment received while a military helicopter pilot, and later elected to disclose it. Yours was not the result of the hard, difficult, arduous airline life with it's "endless" nights in hotels and the overnights. Yours was combat-related, and your FAA disclosure, detailed in the above-linked thread, simply revealing what you didn't tell the FAA at the outset, prior to beginning your cargo airline career.
#29
Disinterested Third Party
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,758
Likes: 74
I'm sure we all know that our job isn't overly conduvice to a healthy lifestyle. As a UK based skipper of over 10 years & big interest in mental health, I spent the last few months putting together lots of facts, stats and information about how the job role affects airline pilots mental & physical health. ... If any current or ex airline pilots have anything they think is missing from it or would make a nice addition, would you be so kind as to discuss below so it can be added?
#30
Of course you’re not incorrect and we’re not Sudan and we’re not Japan either.
Im asking you to consider the possibility of tens of thousands of pilots having flown hundreds of thousands of hours while having had to deal with adult stuff.
Not every single thing has to be diagnosed.
Im asking you to consider the possibility of tens of thousands of pilots having flown hundreds of thousands of hours while having had to deal with adult stuff.
Not every single thing has to be diagnosed.
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