Moving Forward Together on Pilot Mental Health

This week, I had the opportunity to work with our many of our members on discussions regarding pilot mental health and ways to support pilots who are confronted with a mental health difficulty.

Airline pilots, like the general population and many professionals, often encounter significant challenges when it comes to dealing with mental health issues. But the challenges faced by pilots can be particularly complex and sensitive given the critical nature of our job responsibilities. The FAA has strict reporting requirements which means that pilots must report medical visits, medications, and counseling as part of our medical certification. But many pilots have concerns over having to disclose a mental health diagnosis or how medical help might lead to any number of potential negative consequences, including delays with processing their medical certification through a deferral or even denial of their medical certificate, resulting in the loss of livelihood. And if a pilot loses their medical, the path back to the flight deck can be long, burdensome, and extremely costly, often without any assurance of returning to the flight deck. As a result, many pilots instead suffer in silence because they are not willing to risk their medical.

At its core, the primary obstacle to reporting is an issue of trust. Pilots can only gain access to the resources they need if they have reason to trust the process, allowing them to be willing to seek the help that requires reporting. For that reason, it is critical that specific mechanisms are developed where that trust is possible, from initial recognition of an issue to continued certification or recertification, only if necessary. Open communication, education, and support are all crucial steps for building the trust necessary for improving mental health outcomes for airline pilots.

Recent high-profile incidents in the news have brought greater awareness to the issue of pilot mental health, prompting the FAA, the NTSB, airlines, airline industry labor groups, and aviation educational institutions to take a closer look at pilot mental health. In December, the NTSB hosted a summit here in Washington, bringing together representatives from 27 aviation stakeholder groups to participate in their own roundtable discussion on mental health in aviation. ALPA’s long-time aeromedical advisor, Dr. Quay Snyder, participated in that roundtable event, as did Capt. Travis Ludwig, our Air Safety Organization Pilot Assistance Group chair. The NTSB roundtable coincided with an announcement by the FAA that the agency was establishing a new aviation rulemaking committee, the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee or ARC. ALPA was asked to co-chair this group, and we are fortunate to have Travis serving as the co-chair on our behalf.

ALPA has already outlined several steps that the federal government can take to improve the current system. This includes advocating for ways to break down barriers that discourage aviation workers from seeking help and, for those who do seek treatment, improving the process for return to work safely and expeditiously when able. We are also suggesting developing a worker-education campaign to help facilitate mental health discussions amongst pilots, explain the process from diagnosis through recovery, and encourage workers to seek help early.? Lastly, ALPA supports the establishment of an FAA-funded national peer-support training program that would train peers to confidentially discuss concerns and connect with resources.

It is encouraging that there is now growing recognition concerning the importance of making help available to pilots who suffer from mental health issues. Airlines, regulatory agencies, safety advocates, and those of us who represent pilots are seeking opportunities to work together to create programs and initiatives that promote mental well-being as a normal part of life and ensure that pilots have access to confidential and effective mental health resources.

Our hope is that we will find ways to inspire productive dialogue that will change the way so many people think about pilot mental health. We need to find ways to talk about mental health issues and reporting and strive to remove those barriers. We also need to ensure that pilots always have access to the help they need so they can continue to fly as appropriate or help pilots return to a flying status following medical leave.? Those pathways need to be clearly defined and unencumbered by costly and onerous requirements or unnecessary delays. To do that, we need to better educate decision-makers about mental health, find ways to advocate more effectively for our pilots, and change the conversation so that the focus is always on enhancing their well-being, both mentally and physically.

?

?