April 1, 2015
The tragedy of Germanwings Flight 9525 is all over the news. The copilot Andrea Lubitz appears to have crashed the airplane on purpose. This reminds me of the tragedy back in October 31, 1999 when EgyptAir Flight 990 also crashed and the NTSB concluded that the relief first officer may have crashed it on purpose. Although the ECAA blamed mechanical failure, the NTSB report appears to be more accurate. The recordings showed that the first relief officer was not at all worried about avoiding the impending crash. In both instances there is reason to believe that both individuals were emotionally troubled, possibly with clinical depression.
The biggest disappointment about all this is that the stigma that exists about mental illness, including clinical depression, may get a big boost from these incidents. There is a great risk that the same way people worry about terrorism when they see someone of certain ethnicity and religious affiliation; others may begin to worry about mass murder suicide whenever they learn that someone is mentally ill, with clinical depression. If that happens it may keep those, who become emotionally troubled, from seeking help. The most troubling aspect about all this is that no one is talking about the urgent need there is to provide mental health services to those who are in need of it. Incidents like this could be avoided if everyone felt comfortable talking about mental health. After all, clinical depression and other mental illnesses are diseases that no one should feel ashamed of.
No one needs to feel angry about experiencing clinical depression or any other mental illness. Most mental illnesses can be managed, if not successfully treated. However, in order for that to happen, the environment needs to change so that no one feels like an outcast when he or she becomes emotionally troubled. Let’s hope that this last tragic and painful incident can open up the dialogue about the perils of making mental illness a hush-hush issue. Talking about mental illness should be as easy as talking about catching a cold or the flu. It is not something that needs to stay a secret, nor should it put anyone’s career at risk.