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Flight #17 - Antidepressants in Aviation: What’s the Concern?
Now, it's time to explore why such careful consideration goes into deciding to start an antidepressant and what it means to be taking one.
First, to understand the history of antidepressants in aviation, let’s talk about what it was like before antidepressants were approved for use in pilots. Back in 2010 there were four SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro) that were the first antidepressants approved by the FAA for pilots to take and still be allowed to fly. Prior to this, if your mental health condition was so severe that it required treatment with an antidepressant it was felt flight safety could be compromised. And so, since it was such a new policy 10 years ago, when pilots needed to take an antidepressant they were not allowed to fly unless they had thorough evaluation and documentation from mental health providers that they were stable enough to do so.
To read the full transcript go to The Flight Shrink substack at https://flightshrink.substack.com
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in The Flight Shrink are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, The United States Air Force, or any other organization with which Dr. Heacock is associated. The content of The Flight Shrink is not medical advice. The Flight Shrink is for informational purposes only and may not be applicable to all situations. Use of the information is at the reader’s own risk. Any recommendations of treatments, products, or services are made in general and may not apply to a specific person, situation, or illness. Please seek care from a medical professional if you have concerns for any physical or mental health symptoms.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide, or substance use crisis or emotional distress, reach out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988 or using chat services at suicidepreventionlifeline.org to connect to a trained crisis counselor. You can also get crisis text support via the Crisis Text Line by texting NAMI to 741741. For those in countries other than the U.S. here is a Google site with helplines:https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/11181469
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flightshrink.substack.com
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By Kevin Heacock MD
5
44 ratings
Now, it's time to explore why such careful consideration goes into deciding to start an antidepressant and what it means to be taking one.
First, to understand the history of antidepressants in aviation, let’s talk about what it was like before antidepressants were approved for use in pilots. Back in 2010 there were four SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro) that were the first antidepressants approved by the FAA for pilots to take and still be allowed to fly. Prior to this, if your mental health condition was so severe that it required treatment with an antidepressant it was felt flight safety could be compromised. And so, since it was such a new policy 10 years ago, when pilots needed to take an antidepressant they were not allowed to fly unless they had thorough evaluation and documentation from mental health providers that they were stable enough to do so.
To read the full transcript go to The Flight Shrink substack at https://flightshrink.substack.com
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in The Flight Shrink are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, The United States Air Force, or any other organization with which Dr. Heacock is associated. The content of The Flight Shrink is not medical advice. The Flight Shrink is for informational purposes only and may not be applicable to all situations. Use of the information is at the reader’s own risk. Any recommendations of treatments, products, or services are made in general and may not apply to a specific person, situation, or illness. Please seek care from a medical professional if you have concerns for any physical or mental health symptoms.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide, or substance use crisis or emotional distress, reach out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988 or using chat services at suicidepreventionlifeline.org to connect to a trained crisis counselor. You can also get crisis text support via the Crisis Text Line by texting NAMI to 741741. For those in countries other than the U.S. here is a Google site with helplines:https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/11181469
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flightshrink.substack.com