Depressive tendencies and propensity to suicidal thoughts are recorded in a significant number of pilots, according to an international survey -the…
the first of its kind-that reveals that more than one in eight of the pilots (14%) have symptoms of depression and one in 25 (4%) had thoughts of suicide.
The study was carried out in 2015 online. The answers of about 1,850 pilots from 50 different countries were given anonymously. He had just preceded the crash in the French Alps of the plane of the German Germanwings, the pilot of which was suffering from depression, as revealed ex-post.The researchers of the School of Public Health of Harvard University in the USA, headed by professor Joseph Allen, published research in the journal for environmental health “Environmental Health”.”We found that many pilots who are now flying, have symptoms of depression, and probably do not seek treatment, fearing the possible negative consequences for their career. There is a veil of secrecy about mental health issues in the cockpit, but by conducting an anonymous survey, we were able to put aside the fears of the pilots for stigma or for professional discrimination against them”, δήλώσε Allen.Approximately 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, however, according to the World Health Organization, fewer than half go on some antidepressant treatment, and this also relates to the pilots.The study shows that proportionally more men pilots than women reported “almost daily” loss of interest, feeling of personal failure, concentration difficulty, a preference to die rather than to live etc. However, women pilots are more likely to have been diagnosed with depression, probably because more frequent visits to the doctor.In about 140,000 estimated active pilots around the world, who carry over three billion passengers every year. The researchers pointed out that the airlines and the competent supervisory Authorities need to take more seriously the issue of the depression of the pilots and of their treatment.Source: ana-MPA
Trends in depression for a large portion of the pilots
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