The Thorny Issue of Airline Pilots and Mental Illness

Statistics say that 23% of Americans are currently living with
some form of mental illness. For most people, that calls for
reaching out for help and receiving treatment and advice on
management. But if you’re an FAA-approved airline pilot,
disclosing that you have something like a depressive disorder or
an anxiety problem can mean a temporary pause or permanent end to
your entire career. Of course, having a mental illness, not
disclosing or getting treatment, and flying anyway presents a
variety of problems as well. Dr. Helen Ouyang wrote about this in
a recent New York Times Magazine article and joins us to unpack
it all.


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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255,
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International suicide hotline numbers available
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