Rule to Allow Pilots to Take Antidepressants
 

I have just come across this web site where a former Qantas pilot received $200,000 for being forced to fly.
Very scary and I hope that Qantas lifts their game.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...194/story.html

The full story
Griffin v Qantas Airways Ltd [2010] NSWWCCPD 22 (8 March 2010)

Here is another case.
Anxious pilot restrained as Qantas passenger jet landed - National

According to Australian CASA, Qantas pilots can fly while taking antidepresants. Soon they will be employing housewives!

A year ago a Qantas pilot committed suicide in LA

All the links are at his web site approprately called, www.qantasjetstar.com

Instead of using 'How safe are the skies " as a thread starter you might have just used 'Pilots and anxiety'. instead .
Yes the skies are SAFE and 3-4 incidents over a given amount of time does not make it otherwise.

How safe are the skies?
Safer than the San Diego freeway system for sure!

USMCFLYR

Sounds like somebody wants to sell some books. This happened in 1979? Way old news.

How safe are the skies? The skies are fine. It's all those aluminum things flying around in them, that's your problem. :D

winglet

Airline pilots will be able to take antidepressants under new federal rules being announced Friday, though the Federal Aviation Administration says it will try to make sure the side-effects don't "manifest themselves" at 35,000 feet.

Under the prior rules, pilots were not allowed to take antidepressant, and any pilot who admitted to having depression or being treated for it could be grounded.

But the FAA hopes to encourage pilots to get treated -- so long as they follow certain steps. The top airline regulator has no idea how many active pilots have been diagnosed with depression or are secretly medicating, because the pilots have a strong incentive to hide the truth.

Starting Monday, pilots who come forward and admit they're taking medication for mild to moderate depression will be eligible for a special medical certificate.

"We know more today about the science of the medications being given and we know a lot more about depression itself," FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said. "The policy is changing -- I mean our number one priority is safety, and the public certainly has the right to know that everybody in the cockpit is healthy, both mentally and physically."
related links

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FAA Official Says Problem With Pilots Being Professional
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FAA Wants to Keep Bird Strike Records Secret

The new FAA rules will allow pilots to use four commonly prescribed medications to counteract depression: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Lexapro. Others may be added to the list as the agency becomes confident they're safe and effective.

Antidepressants have a long list of side-effects. The most severe are also the rarest, but they include seizures, problems with eyesight, memory loss, hallucinations and thoughts of suicide. Babbitt said the FAA wants to keep those at bay.

"We want to make certain that those side-effects don't manifest themselves as they go under these medications," he said, adding that's why the new rules include, "a long period of time of evaluation and even when they return to the cockpit, (pilots) will continue to be evaluated the rest of their careers."

Under the new policy, pilots will be given a six-month grace period. If they come forward during that time and admit they're taking antidepressants, they will avoid civil penalties. But, they may be barred from flying for up to one year as the government undertakes a number of tests and evaluations.

Even after that evaluation period, pilots will be required to undergo psychiatric examination twice a year, in addition to the already-required annual physical checkup.

While there are no numbers available on how many pilots may be keeping their depression secret as they continue flying, it's generally accepted that about 10 percent of the general population suffers from depression. That could mean that 25,000 of the nation's 250,000 commercial pilots have the condition.

Babbitt said the new rule is aimed, in part, at removing the stigma of mental illness, much as the FAA began to deal with drug abuse and alcoholism in the cockpit with the establishment 40 years ago of its Human Intervention and Motivation Study.

"When people heard that there were going to be pilots who had been alcoholics returning to the cockpit, there was concern," Babbitt said. "But ... that program took a lot of people that needed help, they got the help and they finished great careers as safe pilots. And I think that's what this is going to do."

Babbitt insists the flying public will be safer with the new policy.

"When you get in an airplane, you ought to be comfortable that airplane is being maintained and it's being operated by people that are qualified and healthy," he said. "And that 'healthy' means physical and mental."

So it appears that the FAA has admitted that our career is depressing, and that medication is the only way we can be expected to cope. Now if only they would be realistic about fatigue and rest issues...

From what I know it is hit and miss with SSRIs. You try one, it does not work(which can be a total disaster). You try another, it works. So the doc gives you the one that does not work for you and you have suicidal thoughts or behavior (a common side effect). Then what? Will the FAA give you leeway because it was the medication? Or are you screwed just because you tried to get better and the meds had a negative effect?

Nump

This is a pretty big move by the FAA. One big concern has been how easily it is to be given a prescription for SSRIs by your primary care physician and the lack of followup. Docs give this stuff out like candy, and for some, the side effects are not good. Some percentage of pilots will benefit greatly by taking antidepressants. Now, with proper monitoring, they can keep their careers. This program will be similar to the HIMS program for substance and alcohol use disorders.

There is a time and place for everything. There is good reason that depression and anti-depressant drugs have been disqualifiers for aviators. This is not a good precedent for safety. We have a demanding job involving time sensitive decisions often with incomplete data. Having someone not mentally in the game is bad enough. Having a person with "blurry vision, fatigue, drowsiness, possible suicidal thoughts" responsible for cockpit duty is worse. We can't all be CEO's, professional sports stars, authors, or politicians. So why should we all be trusted as pilots? You want to have a depressed or medicated pilot flying you into LAX in coastal fog down to 100 and 1/4 vis? Suddenly an old style driving family vacation is more appealing. Screaming kids and all.

I feel sympathy for folks struggling with depression. I do not agree with putting safety aside to accomodate them at others expense. The medications themselves warn about operating heavy machinery. Just my take, but who gets an exception next?