Anxiety past. Do I have any chance of getting Cat 1 Medical?

[confusedalot]

Judging by what you are indicating, sounds like too much has happened too fast, so I would think it to be rather understandable to limp a bit. Sounds like a one off acute condition. I am not a doctor.

Below is a silly link to an appropriate tc document. At the appropriate chapter, psychological and psychiatric issues appear to be dealt with on a case by case basis, and not automatically a dis qualifier.

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/ ... u-2331.htm

Seems to me that you would not have much of a problem, except for some additional bureaucratic requirements.

Flying is easy and predictable for the most part. Sometimes you get thrown a curveball here and there. If you can handle curveballs that tend to happen in regular life, you won't have much of a problem.

[RatherBeFlying]

Who among us has gotten through adolescence and early adulthood with no bouts of anxiety whatsoever? If you really want to experience anxiety go through medical school.

Yes, the doc examining you knows all about it.

Being off meds and stable for a period of x years and letter from GP or psych will likely get you a fit assessment. You might want to contact your RAMO to find out what documentation he wants.

You won't need a Class I until you are ready for a Commercial written or flight test. At that time a record of flying with a Class 3 will help.

Be grateful that you were not diagnosed with ADHD. A lot of kids who don't really need it get medicated for it. In the UK, it's next to impossible for an aspiring pilot with that childhood diagnosis to get a medical.

[Beefitarian]

I have never had anxiety but depression has visited. It never really came up but I have held Cat 1 several times.

My only concern for you is, if financially unstable situations cause anxiety, you may want to avoid becoming a CPL.

Sure you can get a job currently but that will probably change very rapidly at some point.

[flyingjunkie]

Thank you everyone for your advices. I really appreciate almost all of the advices given here. As a highly compassionate and empathetic person, I really care a lot about people and never in my mind will and have any thought of harming anyone. I would end my career if I ever felt like I could become a threat to other people's life. I have never been suicidal or tried to harm anyone. My physician is very well aware of that. (obviously saying all this on the internet doesn't mean a thing but don't know why felt like sharing it)

I agree with the other aviators who said, there is no simple equation to understand "anxiety". Yes I did go through a lot of stuff back then and have moved past it too. I have since then experienced numerous stressful situations but never felt that "anxious" or "chronic stress" or whatever you wanna call it. I would say it was the chronic stress which gave me the anxiety and because of my lack of maturity and knowledge (you know that naive freshman college mind), I struggled to release that stress. So the only option that was left was to get medicated. Now I have discovered various things to empty the "bucket of stress" before it starts to spill. Meditation, hiking, gym, yoga and few more are really great. Had I knew more about these things back then or if my doctor told me about it, I would not have created this thread.

The stupid thing that I have done is that I have already given my Cat I medical exam before consulting with the doctor and now I am waiting for the response. However, I did not lie or hid anything about my past. So yeah, I should asked around before doing my medical. But whatever, I believe Transport Canada will make the right decision and will be for the good of everyone. Though it has been a childhood dream for me to become a pilot but I believe if it is not meant to be, something which is better for me awaits in the future.

As for those looking for a best way to deal with their stress, I highly recommend mindfulness meditation or any other kind of meditation works good as well. I was, during last fall, able to to work 12-14 hours a day with only one day off in a week for 4 months straight, only because of my mindfulness practice. I did get tired and stressed but I was able to get back up easily. I would advise everyone, at beginning phase of their meditation, to NOT take any additional stress. With practice, you will learn yourself how much stress you can handle and slowly build your tolerance. Here are some links that can get you started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw71zanwMnY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xco3UjLLvGo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvU7ppM4vE

[flyingjunkie]

Who among us has gotten through adolescence and early adulthood with no bouts of anxiety whatsoever? If you really want to experience anxiety go through medical school.

Yes, the doc examining you knows all about it.

Being off meds and stable for a period of x years and letter from GP or psych will likely get you a fit assessment. You might want to contact your RAMO to find out what documentation he wants.

You won't need a Class I until you are ready for a Commercial written or flight test. At that time a record of flying with a Class 3 will help.

Be grateful that you were not diagnosed with ADHD. A lot of kids who don't really need it get medicated for it. In the UK, it's next to impossible for an aspiring pilot with that childhood diagnosis to get a medical.

Really appreciate your advise. I agree with you on how common and shocking it is to see kids get hooked on amphetamines for something which is a "part of growing up". This source says, nearly 60% of americans are on some type prescription medicine. Some thing really seems to be going wrong here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to- ... 014ecece8c

I dont know if you can help me with this but will be grateful for any advice. So as I mentioned above, I have already given my cat I medical. And as you know it will take some time to get due to my anxiety history. I dont have Cat III right now, do you think I can also apply for Cat III simultaneously. Will i be able to get my Cat III quicker?

[tired of the ground]

It is not possible to apply for multiple categories of medicals and will only confuse the process. They will give their decision on the Cat 1 in due (i.e. slow) time and that is only where the fun begins.

You have two possibilities. Yes you have a Cat 1 or no you don't have a Cat 1.

If the answer is No then there are 2 possibilities. Straight out "no", which then you can decide if it's worth an appeal with documentation from doctors. Otherwise it will be "no", but we need more documentation.

Don't give up. Work with the system, not against it. Far more people are successful working within the system than trying to dodge it.

Good luck. I don't have a medical opinion as I fly planes for a living but I would be happy to share a cockpit with you.

[Tailwheelup]

I've seen this discussion verbally with several experienced pilots.
First, the description given here is called "a reactive disorder".
That is, circumstances beyond the posters control caused the anxiety
that is only human and normal.

If the stressors no longer exist, it should not be a problem.

If it requires medication, that is another story and any pilot needs to think
carefully before popping pills on a prescription by a doctor who does not realize the prejudice.
It may be better for the doctor to prescribe say time off, or suggest other solutions to the problem
rather than magic happy pills that do not deal with the causal factors that
will often just find another way of screwing up life.

Now, if "medication" is required, it could and might result in a demand for a mental health assessment
and these can be expensive.

I know of one career pilot with a prestigious job that a vindictive wife
engaged in years of improper conduct that caused stressors that ended his career,
required a $6,000 assessment before he got his class one medical back but by that time
the career opportunity could not be recommenced.

The real dangers are multiple stressors at the same time.
Take a vindictive spouse, alienation of the kids, fabricated criminal charges for posturing,
the death or deaths of people close to you, resultant sleep deprivation and you have
the causes of acute stress that escalates with time into chronic stress.

It's those factors together that become insidious.

While TC and the FAA have slowly evolved their understandings, its rarely mentioned in
company documents or asked about in medicals.

When you think about the incredible number of subjects that aviation employees have to pass
in their hiring process, the above is rarely discussed and plans to deal with the issues
just do not exist when in reality, its pretty important stuff.

[Tailwheelup]

I've seen this discussion verbally with several experienced pilots.
First, the description given here is called "a reactive disorder".
That is, circumstances beyond the posters control caused the anxiety
that is only human and normal.

If the stressors no longer exist, it should not be a problem.

If it requires medication, that is another story and any pilot needs to think
carefully before popping pills on a prescription by a doctor who does not realize the prejudice.
It may be better for the doctor to prescribe say time off, or suggest other solutions to the problem
rather than magic happy pills that do not deal with the causal factors that
will often just find another way of screwing up life.

Now, if "medication" is required, it could and might result in a demand for a mental health assessment
and these can be expensive.

I know of one career pilot with a prestigious job that a vindictive wife
engaged in years of improper conduct that caused stressors that ended his career,
required a $6,000 assessment before he got his class one medical back but by that time
the career opportunity could not be recommenced.

The real dangers are multiple stressors at the same time.
Take a vindictive spouse, alienation of the kids, fabricated criminal charges for posturing,
the death or deaths of people close to you, resultant sleep deprivation and you have
the causes of acute stress that escalates with time into chronic stress.

It's those factors together that become insidious.

While TC and the FAA have slowly evolved their understandings, its rarely mentioned in
company documents or asked about in medicals.

When you think about the incredible number of subjects that aviation employees have to pass
in their hiring process, the above is rarely discussed and plans to deal with the issues
just do not exist when in reality, its pretty important stuff.

[flyingjunkie]

It is not possible to apply for multiple categories of medicals and will only confuse the process. They will give their decision on the Cat 1 in due (i.e. slow) time and that is only where the fun begins.

You have two possibilities. Yes you have a Cat 1 or no you don't have a Cat 1.

If the answer is No then there are 2 possibilities. Straight out "no", which then you can decide if it's worth an appeal with documentation from doctors. Otherwise it will be "no", but we need more documentation.

Don't give up. Work with the system, not against it. Far more people are successful working within the system than trying to dodge it.

Good luck. I don't have a medical opinion as I fly planes for a living but I would be happy to share a cockpit with you.

You are right, the wise thing to do right now would be to wait for their response and not screw up the process by submitting another medical. Lets see what happens. Anyways, thanks for you advise

[flyingjunkie]

I've seen this discussion verbally with several experienced pilots.
First, the description given here is called "a reactive disorder".
That is, circumstances beyond the posters control caused the anxiety
that is only human and normal.

If the stressors no longer exist, it should not be a problem.

If it requires medication, that is another story and any pilot needs to think
carefully before popping pills on a prescription by a doctor who does not realize the prejudice.
It may be better for the doctor to prescribe say time off, or suggest other solutions to the problem
rather than magic happy pills that do not deal with the causal factors that
will often just find another way of screwing up life.

Now, if "medication" is required, it could and might result in a demand for a mental health assessment
and these can be expensive.

I know of one career pilot with a prestigious job that a vindictive wife
engaged in years of improper conduct that caused stressors that ended his career,
required a $6,000 assessment before he got his class one medical back but by that time
the career opportunity could not be recommenced.

The real dangers are multiple stressors at the same time.
Take a vindictive spouse, alienation of the kids, fabricated criminal charges for posturing,
the death or deaths of people close to you, resultant sleep deprivation and you have
the causes of acute stress that escalates with time into chronic stress.

It's those factors together that become insidious.

While TC and the FAA have slowly evolved their understandings, its rarely mentioned in
company documents or asked about in medicals.

When you think about the incredible number of subjects that aviation employees have to pass
in their hiring process, the above is rarely discussed and plans to deal with the issues
just do not exist when in reality, its pretty important stuff.

This makes really curious about how do pilots deal with tragic situations . As you said, most of us experience things like, like loss of loved ones, divorce, losing jobs, finances and many more. And ofcourse anyone going through these circumstances is bound to experience stress which can give rise to anxiety or depression. What I feel is that TC and airline companies should be a little more considerate, because as other posters pointed out there are pilots out there, who, because of the fear of loosing their career, try to brush their "circumstantial stress" under the carpet. I could be wrong but maybe GermanWings guy was also doing the same mistake.

[Dry Guy]

I'd like to thank you also, flyingjunkie. Because of your links I've started daily meditation practice.

[bearitus]

Pilots have to endure more stress than the average career especially at the start with the difficulty of finding a job, low pay, long hours, big loans and moving across the country.

What I found works for me more than anything is daily exercise especially cardio as well as eliminating all alcohol and caffeine.

[HansDietrich]

The reality of it is that a lot of pilots are suffering from some sort of depression, anxiety and mental illness. Most of them are afraid to mention anything to their doctor in fear that they may lose their medical. The laws have to change and allow pilots to keep flying if they are under a supervised and approved treatment. I'm not a medical professional, so I can't comment on what illness should or should not pull one's Class 1 medical.

As far as the original post, do what other people have mentioned. Ask the advice of your family doctor and your aviation doctor. AVCanada is no place to get medical advice.