Pilots avoid mental health treatment because of stigma, FAA policies

That, pilots and aviation experts told Insider, is due in part to a major flaw in the FAA's mental fitness regulations: The agency relies on pilots to self-report when they seek therapy or treatment for mental illness, but punishes them for doing so...

Though the FAA says the majority of mental health conditions do not disqualify pilots from flying, aviation industry insiders told Insider the reality is more complicated..

"The FAA encourages pilots to seek early help if they have a mental-health condition since most, if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying," the spokesman said..

Though the FAA outwardly encourages pilots to seek help for mental health conditions the agency notes on its website that "most, if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying" Suh and Hauser believe their son likely heard from working pilots, and from peers in his aviation program whose parents were pilots, that seeking treatment would ruin his career..

A pilot who accepts help for a treatable mental health condition will improve both his personal and professional life, and see far more benefits than consequences, according to Dr. Matthew Goldenberg, an aviation psychiatrist who frequently evaluates pilots undergoing the FAA medical certification process..

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