Psychology, Stress Influence Pilots' Mental Health 

Some are asking whether personality tests could haveprevented co-pilot Andreas Lubitz from crashing a Germanwings passengerairplane in the French Alps on March 24. But experts say many kinds of stressin the work of airline pilots can contribute to their mental health.

Dr. Andre Droog is a psychologist who has worked with KLMRoyal Dutch Airlines' flight academy for 22 years. Now he is president of theEuropean Association for Aviation Psychology, EAAP. Mr. Droog says he knows thepersonality type that is drawn to becoming a pilot. Usually, he says, peoplewho want to be pilots have a good way of thinking.

“They are quite well selected and very motivated in becomingan airline pilot. They sometimes have to overcome deceptions of [failing] an examor something but, in general they are a group of very enthusiastic people andmentally very healthy."

Mr. Droog has spent years working with pilots followingtraining accidents caused by mechanical or pilot failure. He says the job doeshave factors that may impose a lot of stress on an individual.

“It's a special job. You are working at irregular times. Ifyou have a family you are often not there and on the other hand you may be athome when everyone is at work,” Mr. Droog says. “If you are flying intercontinentalflights, you may build up jet lag and fatigue and of course you have to manageyour life very well.”

In the book “Anxiety at 35,000 Feet: An Introduction toClinical Aerospace Psychology,” author Robert Bor repeats some of these ideas.He says handling complex systems aboard an aircraft contributes to the stressof the job of a pilot.

Mr. Bor says, “These are also shift workers who do notfollow the same working hours as most people and their offices are crampedflight decks at 35,000 feet in the air.”

Other contributing factors to stress are regular tests. Mr.Bor says regular testing makes the pilot "subject to the close monitoringof other crew members.” In other words, someone regularly watches pilots tomake sure they are doing a good job. Mr. Bor says this experience is like an“incessant driving test," or a test that never ends.

Is testing the answer?

Like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the EuropeanAviation Safety Agency does not require regular psychological tests. However,these tests can be taken if examiners find cause for concern during periodicphysicals, which include a discussion of mental well-being. The role ofpsychological tests is noted in the agencies’ guidelines.

The U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization manualstates: “Personality tests alone have not been proven to be reliable tools topredict mental disorders or to assess with any degree of certainty anapplicant’s suitability for an aviation career.”

EAAP’s Mr. Droog agrees with that assessment – apsychological test alone cannot say whether someone will be a good andresponsible pilot. Mr. Droog says instead, pilots should have the opportunityto discuss their mental health many times during their careers.

“It is asking the right questions at the right time.[Pilots] have to perform during the year at least four times in a [flight]simulator for training and proficiency,” Mr. Droog says.

At these times, he says, examiners giving those tests shouldkeep an eye on possible signs of fatigue and stress. These are the criticaltimes to talk to pilots face to face about their mental condition.

“Psychological testing is very effective in the beginningbefore they start training just to select the right people for the job,” Mr.Droog says. "But psychological tests are not very effective in predictinglife events and how people cope with them.”

Incidents are rare

The Aviation Safety Network tracks information about airaccidents. Before the Germanwings crash on Tuesday, the network reported thatpilots had intentionally caused five crashes, killing 422 people, since 1982.Those cases involved EgyptAir, SilkAir, Royal Air Maroc, Japan Airlines and LAMMozambique Airlines.

The aviation industry has already been making some changesto answer these events.

In Asia, psychological tests are now a common industrypractice. Two of the five companies with in-flight suicides since 1982 arebased in Asia.

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration rules bar anyonesuffering from psychosis, severe personality disorder, manic-depressive illnessor substance dependence the medical clearance to fly an airliner. Captains arerequired to renew their medical clearance every six months first officers arerequired to renew it every year. Hundreds of people each year are refused aclearance.

European airlines are not currently required to have twocrew members in the cockpit at all times, but some airlines have introduced therule. They are doing so after it was reported that the co-pilot of theGermanwings flight had locked himself in the cockpit and did not allow thepilot to enter and take control of the aircraft. The German Aviation Associationsaid Friday that German airlines would introduce a new rule about who must bein the cockpit.

Because of the rarity of suicide by aircraft, the RoyalCollege of Psychiatrists in London cautions against overall judgments ondepression. The college makes the point that pilots with depression have flownsafely for years.

The college says pilots should have their physical andmental health tested. But, it says judgments about risk cannot be made foreveryone equally. It says, “There will be pilots with experience of depressionwho have flown safely for decades, and assessments should be made on a case bycase basis.”

Source: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/psychology-stress-influence-mental-health-pilots/2702704.html

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