Depressed and suicidal pilots are flying thousands of airline passengers, a new study claims.
Findings from an anonymous global survey of 1,848 pilots found that nearly 13% met the criteria for clinical depression.
Of this group, 4.1%, or a total of 75 pilots, admitted having suicidal thoughts within the previous two weeks. Ten pilots felt they would be “better off dead” almost every day.
Suicide is thought to have been behind the Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz’s decision to crash his plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 passengers and crew on board.
Lubitz, who locked the captain out of the cockpit, had been treated for depression and contacted dozens of doctors in the weeks before the tragedy in March of last year.
Renewed concerns about the psychological state of airline pilots were raised by Dr Joseph Allen, lead researcher from the Harvard TH Chan school of public health in Boston.
“There is a veil of secrecy around mental health issues in the cockpit,” he said.
Commercial airline pilots from more than 50 countries took part in the study between April and December last year, The Times reported.
Sixty five British pilots were among the participants. The largest numbers were from the US (1,586), Canada (438) and Australia (387).
UK pilots say that even though the survey showed less propensity to depression and suicide among pilots than the general population, it was still necessary to have good systems for ensuring pilots could raise such issues freely and without stigma.
Dr Rob Hunter, head of flight safety for the British Airline Pilots Association, said: “Balpa’s experience is that levels of depression that could trigger suicidal thoughts are rare among pilots and certainly not as high as this survey seems to suggest.
“Pilots are generally in good physical and mental health as indeed they need to be.
“However, the Germanwings tragedy showed that it is better to have an open and honest culture that allows any mental health issues to be discussed and addressed rather than to have them hidden away.
“Balpa works with UK airlines and the aviation industry towards ensuring the highest standards of health and wellbeing for pilots everywhere.”