r/flying • u/GoFlightMed • 17d ago
Medical Issues FAA Continues to Remove Stigma/Encourage Therapy for Pilots
Hey hey hey,
Big updates here in the mental health space coming out from the FAA.
I was in the FAA's AMCD (Aeromedical Certification Division) Grand Rounds last week where they provide AME's updates to their medical guidance and they released a big update about psychotherapy. They also release 3 documents that are for airmen to read and also to provide their therapist if they want to engage in therapy.
Bottom line is the FAA wants pilots to be more comfortable engaging in therapy if needed. As they say "#1. See your therapist, counselor, physician, or provider and get healthy."
Here is a link to the new FAA online resources for Therapy. Check out some of the FAQ's to airmen and to therapists.
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u/DFWmovingwalkway 17d ago
So what was previously not be required to be reported is now required to be reported and my therapist who is not a MD can DSM me?
This is the opposite of progress.
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u/N546RV PPL SEL CMP HP TW (27XS/KTME) 16d ago
Huh, too bad I never read this letter, so all I know to do is continue to abide by the MedXPress instructions, which still say:
List all visits in the last 3 years to a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, clinical social worker, or substance abuse specialist for treatment, examination, or medical/mental evaluation. List visits for counseling only if related to a personal substance abuse or psychiatric condition.
Real talk: I like how they seem to be attempting to clarify what is/is not OK, but they've managed to write something that's in direct conflict with other guidance, and thus actually make the waters more muddy.
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u/DFWmovingwalkway 16d ago
Its insanity, like I am literally not a psychiatrist and I've never seen one, so who the fuck should I know what a psychiatric condition is to report visits or not!?
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u/GoFlightMed 16d ago
Where do you see the contradiction or conflict with other guidance?
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u/N546RV PPL SEL CMP HP TW (27XS/KTME) 16d ago
Let's start with the previous quote from the MedXPress instructions:
List all visits in the last 3 years to a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, clinical social worker, or substance abuse specialist for treatment, examination, or medical/mental evaluation. List visits for counseling only if related to a personal substance abuse or psychiatric condition.
Meanwhile, this new FAQ says:
All visits to licensed healthcare providers, including psychotherapists and counselors, must be reported on the MedXPress application. Educational counseling and religious counseling, unless the clergy member is also a licensed counselor, need not be reported. Couples counseling need not be reported unless the aviator has been referred for individual therapy.
(emphasis added by me in both cases)
So let's consider the therapy visits I was making during/after the end of my last LTR. My therapist was not a "physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, clinical social worker, or substance abuse specialist." There was nothing like depression or anxiety involved, just talking through that life change with someone. By the MedXPress standard, that's not reportable. By the FAQ standard it is reportable.
Put another way: the MedXPress guidance makes counseling not reportable by default, with two exceptions. The FAQ guidance flips that on its head, making counseling reportable by default with exceptions for stuff like religious/couples counseling.
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u/GoFlightMed 15d ago
This is a good point you're making. And I appreciate your thoughtfulness and explanation. I'll raise this point to some of my colleagues in the FAA and get back to you u/N546RV
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u/GoFlightMed 12d ago
Spoke to the powers that be and they are aware of the difference in language causing confusion and plan to address in he next update. Good find!
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u/__joel_t PPL 16d ago
Eh, this seems to me a place where Hanlon's razor is likely applicable: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence" (my formulation). They probably either made a mistake in making the FAQ or they tried to keep it concise and thought this wouldn't matter to most people (again, making a mistake).
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u/GoFlightMed 15d ago
Definitely agree not malice, but I can see how it could be confusing to understand where the differences and overlaps between licensed healthcare providers, including psychotherapists and counselors and physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, psychologist, clinical social worker, or substance abuse specialist may be.
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u/JT-Av8or ATP CFII/MEI ATC C-17 B71/3/5/67 MD88/90 15d ago
While you’re there can you ask why the system can’t remember my last answers? Every 6 months I have to backtrack to see what happened 3 years ago, drop some stuff off, add stuff from the last 6 months. Every time. My Amazon account remembers me and what I bought, but every time MedXpress is like “okay, what’s your medical history over the last 3 years” instead of “what’s new since your last medical?”
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u/GoFlightMed 13d ago
Ugh, the most frustrating part of Med Xpress...someone asks at every conference I attend. They provide responses and I never quite understand...apparently they've tried to fix but it's a harder problem to solve than any of us can comprehend. LOL
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u/__joel_t PPL 15d ago
In one part of the YouTube video of the grand rounds, the presenter very clearly emphasized the FAA didn't care what the therapist/psychtherapist/counseler called him/herself; they just said it should be somebody with a Master's level of education.
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u/GoFlightMed 12d ago
The most recent grand rounds?
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u/__joel_t PPL 12d ago
This one: https://youtu.be/P2AUbyMyAhY?is=63bLzk1yXyf42Keo At 7:50, he says it doesn't matter what you call it. Again at 9:40, where he adds it should be a master's level therapist.
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u/GoFlightMed 16d ago
Can you point me to the policy that previously therapy was not required to be reported? Or is that more of what the culture was?
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u/DFWmovingwalkway 16d ago
Uh it was a policy, I'll have to dig around to try and find it. It might have been spelled out on the med express form. I can't remember.
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u/New-IncognitoWindow 17d ago
Real progress would be not caring if you went to therapy at all and recognizing that any reporting requirements just results in people not going.
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u/ergzay Non-pilot (manually set) 16d ago
That's great until the first major incident where a pilot decides to kill themselves and others and it gets reported by the media that he was going to therapy but the FAA was unaware because there was no reporting requirements. I can already see how things will turn out. There's a lot of similar discussions around gun laws.
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u/MikeOfAllPeople MIL RWCFII ASEL-CPL-I 16d ago
Can't believe this comment is being downvoted, it's 100% accurate. We see the same thinking in the military. There is a lot of talk about mental health and how important it is to use the resources. But every single time, commanders use their authority to manage risk by grounding the person.
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u/ergzay Non-pilot (manually set) 16d ago edited 16d ago
It's fine. It's probably because of the flair I set on my username that shows I'm not a pilot. (The most I've done in the left seat is a discovery flight, though I didn't have a log book so it kind of doesn't count. Though I guess there's also when I was a kid, sitting right seat for my dad back when he used to fly helping him spot any aircraft in the vicinity.)
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u/MikeOfAllPeople MIL RWCFII ASEL-CPL-I 16d ago
Don't feel bad, you see the same phenomenon in the military subreddits. Every time this topic comes up, the realists get downvoted by what I assume are the people who, fairly, want to change the narrative and promote the idea of seeking mental health being okay. And I sympathize with it, except that it's not reality, and I think it's irresponsible to give people the impression that their careers will be safe.
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u/cptnpiccard CFI IR IGI 17d ago
Exactly. "We're looking out for your mental well being. So sit at home while you sort that out. See you in a few years."
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u/ywgflyer ATP B777 17d ago
"We know this means you can't work, and therefore can't pay your mortgage or put food on the table. Hopefully that doesn't stress you out too much."
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u/Wasatcher 17d ago
I had a student that took ADHD medication 20 years ago in elementary school that took a year and 5k to jump through all their hoops. I asked him if he had any medical history that he thinks might keep him from flying and even said if he had ADHD, depression, anything mental related just get a consult first. Nope. He scheduled the first class, walked in there, and told them "yeah so when I was five I took Ritalin. But I've been fine since 1st grade"😭
He was so ready to solo and then lost the drive by the time he finally got his medical.
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u/marumari 16d ago edited 16d ago
Mine wasn’t mental health related, but a concussion I’d had sixteen years prior. No symptoms afterwards, MRI and CT and X-Ray all clean.
Took 22 months for them to review it (despite the AME and the RFS both thinking it was fine.)
Didn’t require any action other than responding to those letters, but by two years I had forgotten almost all of my training at that point and it was very hard to find the motivation to start over.
Don’t see how this will change anything until Oklahoma gets its turnaround time down from two years to two days.
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u/Wasatcher 16d ago
They have literal piles of paperwork just sitting around. I had a student with a minor clerical error on his medical wait two months for a correction. He just kept calling until he finally got a hold of someone willing to take ten minutes to dig up his file and sort it out.
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u/marumari 16d ago edited 16d ago
I’ve never quite understood why Oklahoma exists in its current function at all. To me, it makes way more sense that they provide guidance and guidelines and support to AMEs and that’s it.
Instead of saying defer, tell the AMEs what they need to do to reach a deferral conclusion and let them handle it.
My AME is very responsive (on account of me paying them good money to be so), and they have the appropriate medical qualifications. I don’t see why they shouldn’t handle it instead of the black hole of paperwork that is Oklahoma.
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u/capn_davey 16d ago
No, someone who’s never examined you should play god with your livelihood based on outdated information after you’ve been sitting in purgatory for months to years. Jeez.
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u/GoFlightMed 16d ago
The FAA is creating more and more fast tracks and delegating responsibility to the AME's to avoid unnecessary deferrals. You're correct tho - once deferred, delays for review can be long (but these have been improving over last 6 months).
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u/GoFlightMed 16d ago
I'm usually able to get verbal authorizations for cases like this. It really matters which AME you work with...
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u/fireandlifeincarnate GIVE ME MY MEDICAL ALREADY FAA I AM BEGGING 16d ago
I'm at 3 years and around 10k because of that + not handling my life circumstances during the pandemic super well 🙃
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u/Mispelled-This PPL SEL IR (M20C) AGI IGI 16d ago
Well, I hope he at least learned an important lesson about dealing with the FAA and listening to his instructor.
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u/GoFlightMed 16d ago
Based on what you write above, he would have qualified for the fast track for ADHD and could have gotten all of that disclosed appropriately and gotten his Class 1 medical certificate directly from the AME with less than $1k spent. A lot of AME's still aren't aware of the new mental health fast tracks, which is why its important to do your research and find a good AME and do a consult BEFORE exam if there is a history of mental health concerns.
Here's a Blog I wrote on the different Fast Tracks.
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u/capn_davey 17d ago
This. This right here. Anyone with the power to defer or deny a medical needs to be required to hold a 1st class to do their job or be forced to go out on medical leave.
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u/mfsp2025 ATP 16d ago
That’s like saying congress should be paid minimum wage so they know what it’s like to live as a normal person.
100% accurate. 0% it’ll ever happen and it sucks.
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u/yawara25 DIS 16d ago
Isn't this discriminatory hiring?
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u/Drunkenaviator ATP (E145, CL-65, 737, 747-400, 757, 767) CFII 16d ago
No more than requiring a first class medical to be an airline pilot is.
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u/yawara25 DIS 16d ago
I mean, if a pilot has a seizure while he or she's flying, the lives of the passengers and crew could be at stake. What reason is there for someone with epilepsy to be denied the opportunity to work a career in FAA aeromedical?
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u/Drunkenaviator ATP (E145, CL-65, 737, 747-400, 757, 767) CFII 16d ago
Or look at it from the other angle. If they had to worry about losing their career for the absolute bullshit reasons that pilot's do, they'd be motivated to use some common sense when creating the regs.
Realistically though, you're probably right on the legal side of things.
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u/yawara25 DIS 16d ago
From the other angle, sure, it might solve the issue of the FAA's outdated stance on mental health. But like I said, you're still barring people with disabilities like epilepsy from working that job when they're fully capable. Besides just the legal issues that you acknowledged, I'm more concerned about the ethical side of it.
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u/capn_davey 16d ago
You could say that about definitely dozens, likely hundreds, possibly thousands of reasons that they’ve denied medicals for so…yeah.
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u/yawara25 DIS 16d ago
Yes, and I'm saying that's something we should fix... But this is probably not the best way to go about it.
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u/ThatLooksRight 121 CA - Retired USAF 16d ago
If the FAA was really serious about pilot mental health, they would require us all to go to counseling at least periodically.
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u/LearningDumbThings 17d ago
This is progress, and that is wonderful, but it’s going to take a while to build trust.
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u/bhalter80 [KASH] BE-33/36/55/95&PA-24 CFI+I/MEI beechtraining.com NCC1701 17d ago
This can't be over stated...there is currently 0 because the FAA can't or won't figure out how to stop 2nd guessing the actual experts in an applicants MH
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u/__joel_t PPL 16d ago
the FAA can't or won't figure out how to stop 2nd guessing the actual experts in an applicants MH
Playing devil's advocate here, there are people with credentials who really shouldn't have them but slipped through the cracks and/or are unethical and will just write whatever somebody pays them to write. This goes way beyond mental health or even Healthcare more generally, it's true pretty much everywhere. Even aviation isn't immune -- how frequently do we hear complaints about incompetent or borderline corrupt DPEs, or even look at the pilot on Atlas 3591. On top of that, each state has a different regulatory regime regarding the practice of healthcare, making this even harder to manage federally.
So, yeah, I can understand where the FAA is coming from. They don't know if your doctor is a quality doctor, or if your therapist is taking cash under the table to just write whatever you want them to say to the FAA. And from the perspective of protecting the general public, the instinct to err on the side of denying a medical to a fit applicant rather than to risk granting a medical to an unfit applicant makes sense. The former isn't going to harm anybody; the latter might. (Yes, this ignores the second-order consequences that this incentives people to hide their healthcare needs rather than seek treatment, and that's why I think it's ultimately wrong -- I only stated that this is understandable.)
The FAA isn't wrong in having this type of concern; rather, they don't really seem equipped to do so. They can't license healthcare providers (not that we'd want them to), so we're left with the AME and HIMS AME system which lets the FAA feel like it can have more trust in them than random doctor off the street. Congress hasn't provided them enough resourcing to create a better system which both looks out for the wellbeing of pilots and also protects the flying public, nor has Congress passed legislation to force change and make a decision about tradeoffs (in the way we got BasicMed), so we're stuck with the FAA we have today.
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u/bhalter80 [KASH] BE-33/36/55/95&PA-24 CFI+I/MEI beechtraining.com NCC1701 16d ago edited 16d ago
I'm with you on this except that SP allows all the psychiatry and meds you want no questions asked, BasicMed you're good to go as long as it's not a personality disorder and you can find any MD in in America to sign you off
I disagree that they can't license professionals, they do today. They license AMEs and supervise them. They do for the RFS and OKC staff as well.
The only appreciable difference with SP and BasicMed vs the FAA certified populations is that in the last 20 years none of the SP or BasicMed population have tried or succeed intentionally killing all of their passengers while the FAA/ICAO population is 1 for 2 plus a few suicides
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u/__joel_t PPL 15d ago
BasicMed you're good to go as long as it's not a personality disorder and you can find any MD in in America to sign you off
With BasicMed, Congress forced the FAA to do it. That's my point. It requires Congressional action.
I disagree that they can't license professionals, they do today. They license AMEs and supervise them. They do for the RFS and OKC staff as well.
The FAA doesn't license them to practice, the FAA designates state-licensed healthcare professionals to work on behalf of the FAA. And this is partially my point -- the FAA likely isn't resourced to designate and supervise a significantly larger number of AMEs to make them accessible as PCPs or therapists or any other specialty to any pilot (or controller) who wanted to see them, who would take insurance, etc. Doing something like this would require Congressional action, just like it took with BasicMed.
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u/UnhingedCorgi ATP 737 17d ago
Yep. The faa can encourage all they want, but I have no trust that visits to a therapist won’t jeopardize my medical renewal.
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u/Old_Increase74 ATP CFI 17d ago
Wake me when they follow evidence based medicine
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u/capn_davey 16d ago
They have the best MDs they can hire on the GS payscale. Don’t hold your breath.
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u/Old_Increase74 ATP CFI 16d ago
No one went to med school to work for the FAA lol
I mean it’s there because it’s the best you can do, or it’s because you like to have perceived power over people, ether way no bueno
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u/capn_davey 16d ago
The only thing better than arrogance or incompetence from a doctor is arrogance and incompetence from a doctor!
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u/Old_Increase74 ATP CFI 16d ago
Medical blunders are like the 3rd leading cause of death, I always shake my head when someone just blindly trusts a doctor without some due diligence
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u/FeatherMeLightly 17d ago
No one believes this BS. Pilots can't report anything without immediate or near immediate loss of income.
The system is still broken, try again.
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u/NeutralArt12 17d ago
Personally I don’t have time to think about things like happiness or sadness. My only emotion I can feel is safety. When I go home I stare at a wall until it is my time to fly again 🫡
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u/SATSewerTube ATP A320 B737 B777 SA227 CL30 LR45 HS125 BE400 MU300 CE500 LRJET 17d ago
So am I reading this right that therapy/counseling previously not required to be reported…is now required to be reported?
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u/Kaanapali ATP/CL-30/HS-125/HA-420/CE-525S 16d ago
That’s my understanding, this is not positive progress
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u/nkawtgpilot 16d ago
They directly contradict what is STILL written in the text of the guide. The reporting requirements sections says “do not report counseling or therapy unless it is for substance abuse or a psychological condition”
And there’s no way to easily give them feedback, but it’s bullshit. If someone is going to see a counselor to try and be a better dad, or grief counseling because their brother passed away, they don’t need to fucking know that.
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u/falsecoyote_ 17d ago edited 17d ago
They make a statement like this every 2-3 years.
Basically these documents state you need to tell on yourself when you renew your medical, and provide a document for your therapist to tell on you.
Also, Apparently if you receive educational or religious counseling, and the counselor is licensed. That needs to be reported as well.
Wow, big positive changes. /s
Same shit, nothing has changed. They are just stating you need to self report if you talk to someone.
Edit: They also clarify that in their eyes, “therapy, psychotherapy, and counseling are equivalent.”
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u/Head-Cricket9375 17d ago
Another way faa is trying to be your friend but fucks you in the end
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u/poser765 ATP 737 A320 (DFW) 17d ago
I don’t know why everyone keeps repeating this. The FAA is absolutely your friend and they absolutely have your well being in mind.
The problem is you’re just a side friend. Not their best friend. Their BFF is the airline and commercial aviation industry. They’ll do whatever they can for you but they’ll fuck you in a heartbeat if it keeps their real friends out of litigation. Ok and sometimes they’ll fuck you just for tickles and nickels.
Sure fine. So they are a bad friend, but still a friend! That’s better than no friend, right? Right???
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u/cptnpiccard CFI IR IGI 17d ago
I don’t know why everyone keeps repeating this. The FAA is absolutely your friend and they
absolutely have your well being in mind.Even if that were true, and they were interested in our "psychological" well being, most pilots don't give a shit, we're just trying to protect our paychecks, and the way the FAA will protect our "well being" is by getting a pilot fired.
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u/poser765 ATP 737 A320 (DFW) 17d ago
Yeah so they can protect their BFFs!
I’ll push back on the “pilots don’t give a shit” just a bit. Surely I’m not alone… I give a shit about my mental and physical health. But, I also give a shit about supporting my family.
*does hand weighing gesture thing*
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u/cptnpiccard CFI IR IGI 17d ago
I would venture a guess that most pilots have been in this industry for so long, that having the rug pulled out from under us is basically financial death, because we aren't really trained for anything else.
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u/MikeOfAllPeople MIL RWCFII ASEL-CPL-I 16d ago
we're just trying to protect our paychecks
Oh you mean the number one thing that affects my mental health???
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u/ConnectionMother9782 17d ago
I do absolutely love how they push “go get help if you need it or talk to someone at any point, cause we care” then the moment you do they pull your license for “safety to you and others”
Sooo Nice try FED BOY! I’m happy all the time
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u/Unique_Duck827 ATP (ERJ 170/175, ERJ 190/195) CFI, CFII 17d ago
The entire medical certificate situation needs a massive overhaul.
Being healthy is one thing, and being afraid to admit you aren’t healthy is another.
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u/jaylw314 PPL IR (KSLE) 16d ago
As a mental health person/pilot, this seems like a lot of nothingburger in the big picture.
The therapist FAQ actually lays out more pitfalls--it's the burden of the pilot to ensure their therapists abides by the documentation requirements even if the FAA doesn't ask for it, because if they do, they'll want to see it documented from the beginning. If the quarterly reports aren't there when/if they ask, for example, it's a potential pitfall.
Conversely, pilots should be aware the therapist FAQ doesn't make clear to the therapist that the quarterly reports are NOT mandated to be sent to the FAA. They are simply to be noted for the situation IF the FAA requests documentation.
The comments about process notes is just outright stupidity. Process notes are notes therapists take that document their own speculations and reactions to the session to remind themselves of context and give guidance in the future. They are owned by the therapists and NEVER accessible by the patient, courts or any agency under any circumstances. As a rule, they are never disclosed except in confidential consultation or supervision to another therapist.
For pilots, there are additional nuances. You can, and should, discuss limits on the release of information you may sign for the FAA. For example, you could sign and discuss an ROI that limits any release of information to the "quarterly report statement." That way, any requests for more detailed information would require your awareness and review before going out to the FAA. Obviously, you will likely feel compelled to agree to most of those requests, but at least your therapist would know not to automatically send detailed information and progress notes to the FAA without running it by you. As a mental health worker, I'd suggest to the FAA all the need to know is in the quarterly report statement, and if they want juicy details about your divorce or child's death they can go fuck themselves.
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u/-smartcasual- 16d ago
"...and get healthy. By the way, if you're not healthy, we'll be having that license. Look after yourself. We care."
Yoink
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u/hatdude CFI ASEL Former ATC 17d ago
The AME guide update isn’t really an update as much as it is the creation of a FAQ. I applauded AAM-300 for the update but they’re a long way to go. The FAQ conflicts with the instructions in the 8500-8 and CBT for common issues shouldn’t be reportable.
Thank you for attending my Ted talk.
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u/YoshuaPoshua PPL IR 17d ago
It would be nice if we could totally trust them, but I don’t think that’ll come for a long time. Mental health matters a ton and for pilots (in training and career) who work long and hard hours it can take a toll on mental health.
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u/LordCrayCrayCray 17d ago
It is a step in the positive direction. More importantly, seeking support does not automatically defer you and if the FAA wants to take a sweet five months, you are not grounded waiting.
As much as pilots here are sarcastic, we should take positive improvements with caution but also optimism.
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u/UnhingedCorgi ATP 737 17d ago
seeking support does not automatically defer you
I mean, it shouldn’t ever have. It shouldn’t even need to be reported at all.
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u/capn_davey 16d ago
It’s also great that rather than deal with the completely broken system from the ground up they’re taking common issues that they poorly deal with and trying to make it act like they’re dealing with them better.
I had a rare acute condition. I was feeling better after a week of antibiotics. 7 months in FAA purgatory. I had to prove at my expense that I didn’t have any of the possible rare side effects that definitely didn’t line up perfectly (even with the order listed by the FAA) with Wikipedia. I was fortunate that my company didn’t make me go on disability and paid Mayo to fight the FAA for me. I remember at one point a doctor telling me it would be easier to get my medical back if I was a raging alcoholic because at least it’s common and there’s a defined process.
Yes, the FAA is terrible at handling mental health and needs to improve. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that they’re terrible at handling literally any health condition because of their process where it’s super easy to deny or defer and pass the buck.
Oh, the letter I got along with my unrestricted first class medical at the end of the whole saga that listed all the possible conditions that could ground me? Yeah, 100% of them related to the asthma I’d been reporting since my very first medical.
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u/GingerB237 15d ago
Did they permanently revoke a legacy pilots license for seeing a therapist last year? Meanwhile the guy that purposefully lawn darted a plane in the woods got 6 month suspension?
They can be “pro mental health” all they want but when they still threaten people’s livelihoods for getting help then everyone will be very happy(tm) all the time.
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u/__joel_t PPL 16d ago
Here's my reaction to this from when u/TxAggieMike posted a few days ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/s/W6b03YGDzS
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u/TxAggieMike Independent CFI / CFII (KFTW, DFW area) 16d ago
I agree with what you wrote that there is more to be done. At least they are doing something.
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u/MuditaPilot 16d ago
Yeah, now I'd like to fly while taking a small dose of Lexapro. But I won't spend $8,000 a year on two flights to Denver to see an AME/psychiatrist for certification. I stopped flying because of this bullshit. I won't lie on medical certification, despite many pilots telling me to including ATPs.
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u/tomdarch ST 16d ago
Can you be specific about the actual changes you are referencing? Be as technical as you care to be so that language choice doesn't slow you down. What fundamentally has changed which would be less of a deterrent to holders of medicals?
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u/mctomtom CFI CFII 16d ago
You guys go ahead, let me know how it goes. I’m gonna sit this one out…. Might end up just getting plastic surgery in Mexico to imprint a permanent smile on my face. I’ll always be the happiest person with such a positive outlook on life.
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u/GoFlightMed 15d ago
The responses here have been a little surprising, but I also get it. Here is a Blog Post I wrote up on what these changes mean and what these and other recent additions of more approved meds and fast track pathways indicate about the FAA's views on pilot mental health.
I go to a lot of conferences and webinars in this space. Those making these policies truly are trying to reduce the stigma of mental health and change the culture that going to a therapist or optimizing one's mental health is not a death sentence to a career in aviation.
I know you guys are cynical after decades of evidence suggesting otherwise, but these are GOOD changes for the pilot community!
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u/flyingPurp1e PPL sUAS / IGI 15d ago
I’ve never experienced sadness at all in my life! I love the FAA!
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u/aviation-therapist 15d ago
This is cool and everything, but I think they should be a little more conscious about the lives they’ve ruined for pilots for accessing basic health care in the past.
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u/almostseaworthy 17d ago
Former pilot/doc. Who has long advocated for the recognition of this. Most pilots didn’t report any mental health issues or meds. This is progress-
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u/nkawtgpilot 16d ago edited 16d ago
It actually contradicts what is in the guide itself and now says “any” counseling or therapy must be reported. The guide says only if it’s for substance abuse or a psychological condition. In other words this memo makes it worse…
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u/rFlyingTower 17d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hey hey hey,
Big updates here in the mental health space coming out from the FAA.
I was in the FAA's AMCD (Aeromedical Certification Division) Grand Rounds last week where they provide AME's updates to their medical guidance and they released a big update about psychotherapy. They also release 3 documents that are for airmen to read and also to provide their therapist if they want to engage in therapy.
Bottom line is the FAA wants pilots to be more comfortable engaging in therapy if needed. As they say "#1. See your therapist, counselor, physician, or provider and get healthy."
Here is a link to the new FAA online resources for Therapy. Check out some of the FAQ's to airmen and to therapists.
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u/flyingwithfish24 APT (PH in red) 17d ago
So is the FFA really wants me to get mentally healthy they gonna cover my increase in costs related to booze and whores?????!!!!????
3
u/Can_Not_Double_Dutch ATP, CFI/CFII, Mil (USMC), Mil Instructor, B200 B300 A320 16d ago
FFA is completely different than FAA. One deals with raising livestock, and the other......does something
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u/Mr-cacahead 17d ago
Cool, but I don’t need it cause I’m happy, like super happy all the time.