A new study suggests that hundreds of pilots may suffer from clinical depression but have not sought help because they fear being stigmatized.
The report, published in Environmental Health on Wednesday, used an anonymous online survey to ask 1,848 respondents about their mental health, including questions about feelings of failure, difficulty concentrating and suicidal thoughts.
Of the group, 233 respondents (12.6 per cent) met the study’s criteria for likely having depression. Another 75 respondents (4.1 per cent) said they had suicidal thoughts within the past two weeks.
Of the 1,430 respondents who reported working as an airline pilot in the week before the survey, 193 (13.5 per cent) met researchers’ criteria for depression.
“We found that many pilots currently flying are managing depressive symptoms, and it may be that they are not seeking treatment due to the fear of negative career impacts," said Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science and senior author of the study.
"There is a veil of secrecy around mental health issues in the cockpit. By using an anonymous survey, we were able to guard against people's fears of reporting due to stigma and job discrimination."
Pilots did not provide identifying details, such as which airline they worked for. However, the highest percentage of respondents completed surveys from the U.S. (45.5 per cent), Canada (12.6 per cent), and Australia (11.1 per cent). In total, respondents came from over 50 countries.
Male pilots were more likely to report experiences “nearly every day” of loss of interest, feeling like a failure, challenges focusing and thinking that they would be “better off dead.” Researchers said female pilots were more likely to be diagnosed with depression and to report one day of poor mental health in the past month.
Researchers said they also found a connection between pilots who used sleep aid medication at higher levels and those who experienced sexual or verbal harassment.
"Our study hints at the prevalence of depression among pilots -- a group of professionals that is responsible for thousands of lives every day -- and underscores the importance of accurately assessing pilots' mental health and increasing support for preventative treatment," said Alex Wu, a doctoral student at Harvard Chan School and first author on the paper.
The report references the Dusseldorf-bound Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps in March 2015 and killed 150 people on board. Investigation later found that the pilot suffered from depression and deliberately caused the crash.
