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Study calls attention to mental health of airplane pilots

Nearly 13% of airplane pilots met criteria for depression and 4% reported having suicidal thoughts in the last 2 weeks, according to recent findings.

“We found that many pilots currently flying are managing depressive symptoms, and it may be that they are not seeking treatment due to the fear of negative career impacts,” Joseph Allen, MPH, DSc, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release. “There is a veil of secrecy around mental health issues in the cockpit. By using an anonymous survey, we were able to guard against people's fears of reporting due to stigma and job discrimination.”

Joseph Allen

To characterize airplane pilot mental health, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study via an anonymous web-based survey administered to 1,837 pilots.

Overall, 12.6% of pilots met Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) criteria for depression and 13.5% of pilots who reported working as an airplane pilot in the last week met PHQ-9 criteria for depression.

Approximately 4.1% reported having suicidal thoughts within the last 2 weeks.

Depression was significantly associated with higher use of sleep-aid medication (P < .001) and among individuals who reported sexual (P = .001) or verbal (P < .001) harassment.

“Our study hints at the prevalence of depression among pilots — a group of professionals that is responsible for thousands of lives every day — and underscores the importance of accurately assessing pilots' mental health and increasing support for preventive treatment,” study researcher Alexander C. Wu, a doctoral student at Harvard Chan School, said in the release. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.