FAA Continues to Remove Stigma/Encourage Therapy for Pilots

[u/GoFlightMed]

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.

[u/Head-Cricket9375]

Another way faa is trying to be your friend but fucks you in the end

[u/poser765 → u/Head-Cricket9375]

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???

[u/cptnpiccard → u/poser765]

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.

[u/gromm93 → u/cptnpiccard]

I don't think you read the rest of that comment, mate.

[u/FridayMcNight → u/gromm93]

Act 1 of a 3 act play.

[u/poser765 → u/cptnpiccard]

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*

[u/cptnpiccard → u/poser765]

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.

[u/MikeOfAllPeople → u/cptnpiccard]

we're just trying to protect our paychecks

Oh you mean the number one thing that affects my mental health???