Mental Health Assessment Pilot Fitness to Fly An Integral Part of Pilot Fitness to Fly

Mental Health Assessment 

Pilot Fitness to Fly 

An Integral Part of  Pilot Fitness to Fly 



Mental Health Assessment is an integral part of  Pilot Fitness to Fly , during initial or renewal medical examination. 

A examiner keeps a close watch on the  Pilot from the moment he enters to the clinic . Your Gait , Attitude , Expressions on the Face, Speech and few questions help us in the assessment of Mental Health .

Assessment of Mental Health - Ask yourself - if you have 

A. DEPRESSION 

During past 3 months, have you been often bothered by 

1. Feeling Down , Depressed or Hopeless

2. Having little interest or pleasure in doing things 

3. Having problems of falling asleep 


B. ANXIETY OR PANIC ATTACK

In past 3 months have you ever had an Episode of - 

1. Sudden anxiety , fearfulness uneasiness.

2. Shortness of breath , palpitation or shaking of hands at east without any reasonable cause

3. Need of urgent medical advise in the past one year.


C. ALCOHOL ABUSE

1. Have you ever felt that you should cut down on your drinking ?

2. Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking ?

3. Have you needed a drink first thing in the morning ?


D.!DRUG ABUSE

1. Have you used Drugs other than those required for medical reasons ?

2. Which non-proscription drugs you have used ?         The most commonly used substances are Alcohol, Cannabis, Opiates, Amphetamines , sedatives etc. The purpose of taking these substances may be to induce pleasure or to reduce suffering.                                       If any of the above question has a “YES” answer you need to consult an expert . Ignoring the warning May land you in a bigger trouble.

Here’s what the I’M a Safe Pilot Checklist includes:

I – Illness

M – Medication

S – Stress

A – Alcohol

F – Fatigue

E – Emotion

Let's look at each of these separately.

Illness [Disease]

Before taking off, a Pilot needs to pay attention to his general health. Is he feeling well? What She is sick? If he is ill, will this type of illness interfere with Flight operations or put the Flight in a dangerous condition? If he has a cold, will air pressure on his ears be a problem when climbing or descending?

Medication [Medicine]

There are certain drugs that are not allowed to Pilots. Other medicines are fine as long as enough time has passed since the last dose. And still others are perfectly fine to take while flying. A Pilot should ask himself whether he is on any drugs, or whether he has recently taken something on the prohibited list, and in general, whether any drugs will affect his state of mind or interfere with the overall safety of Flight. Will do

Stress [Tension]

Stress can have a lasting effect on us, even when we can't clearly see or feel it. Even if a Pilot feels well, if he is under great stress or has been subject to a very stressful life event such as a death in the family or a divorce, he may want to reconsider flying until the stressful nature of the problem is relieved. Is. , And some people handle stress better than others. One person may thrive in a stressful situation while another shuts down mentally.

Alcohol

Alcohol severely impairs a person's judgment and causes the person to make poor decisions. Alcohol also impairs vision and reduces reaction time. The FAA has a rule that a Pilot cannot fly under the influence of alcohol, or within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04% or higher. It's clear why this is part of a Pilot's personal safety checklist. If this is in doubt, no Pilot should ever fly.

 Fatigue [Tiredness]

Fatigue is a very difficult thing for a Pilot to self-assess. Even though the effects of fatigue are obvious, we often do not feel tired, especially if we are concentrating on a task. And it is human nature to try to continue what we are doing even when we are tired. But a tired Pilot will make mistakes, so before taking off, a Pilot should ask himself whether he got enough sleep the night before, whether it was restful sleep, or any other reason he might be unusually tired. such as intense physical exercise or a recent stressful day at school. A Pilot should try to recognize fatigue and set personal limits that he will stick to, even if he doesn't feel tired.

Emotion

Emotionally, a Pilot must be stable in order to be a safe and efficient Pilot. But as humans, we all have emotional times in our lives that affect us negatively. We may lose mental focus due to the death of a loved one or even a pet, or a heated argument with a partner. Things like depression and anxiety are common among Pilots as well, so before each Flight a Pilot must ensure whether he is emotionally stable.

If not, then he should give some time to recover or even seek the help of a professional.





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