If you have been listening to the news at all, you have some knowledge of the horrific plane crash that killed some 150 people last week. Not one person survived that awful crash. Many, many lives have forever altered, including hundreds of families. Yes, three Americans were also killed in this crash. We have been learning that this crash was no accident and that the responsible party was the co-pilot. He had deliberately crashed this plane.
The Responsible Co-pilot and Mental Illness
In these past few days, as the investigation of the co-pilot in that plane crash has begun, the media has let out more ad more details of the pilot's situation. First of all, he was said to have had a history of "metal health issues" though he seemed likable and pleasant to those who knew him. He was quoted as saying that "I have depression." He would not report his mental health issues, fearing stigma, fearing that he would lose his pilot's license. You may very well think: He would rather risk the lives of 149 people plus his own, rather than stigmatizing himself through self-disclosure? While his attitude and his lie of omission may indeed have been deceptive, why is it that he would have felt the "need" to lie by omission in the first place? He was said to be "unfit to fly." I understand that the FAA had lifted the stigma of mental illness, allowing pilots with a history of mental illness to fly (correct me if I am wrong). Yes, I agree the piloting a plane, with multiple human lives in your hands, is an awesome responsibility. It is a privilege, not a right. He should not even have been put in that position. Clearly we do not want to deny people with depression or a history of mental illness the right to participate in life and to be full citizens and to reach their full potential. But we do not want to put the lives of the public at risk, either. This is much like seizures and driving or eyesight and driving, both which can keep one from driving for purely safety reasons. We may never know all which actually happened in that awful plane crash and what was in that co-pilot's mind or going on in his life. But what a sad, sad waste of human lives and all the permanently altered lives of many families, including his own! What was it all for?
The Faces of Mental Illness and Suicide
Many of us are aware of depression, mental illness and suicide. We just do not talk about these issues in casual conversation and they are subjects that we may speak about in hushed tones. What would cause a co-pilot to protect his pilot license above many human lives, including his own? Last year, I followed a case of a missing mom with two young children. It was not long before her body was found. The death was ruled as a suicide. That troubled me and still troubles me to this day, as this mom had two small children. Her family was not questioning the ruling or challenging law enforcement to re-open their quickly closed investigation, and see if this mom's death may have been a homicide. This mom's case still bothers me. I think many of us are aware of the sad statistic of (how may? fourteen a day?) veterans who end their lives by suicide. I have been visiting a certain website that contains many webpages for those dealing with various mental illnesses. Yes, there are those who deny the existence of mental illness and call it other things, and hold that it is man-made and a brainchild of modern pop psychology. I agree that too often, psychiatric medications may be over-prescribed and these medications may cover up deeper problems that should be addressed through working through issues with a counselor or pastor. But mental illness and depression are not imaginary or man-made and keeping the stigma going through silence, will not solve this problem. It will not keep people like co-pilots from flying when they should not. It will just go underground.
Are Mental Illness and Suicide Matters of Character and Faith?
I read many Christian articles and books. Mental illness and depression are divisive subjects in the Christian community. Some Christian circles see depression and suicide as viable physical illnesses of the mind that should be treated as illnesses. There are other Christians circles that believe that depression and mental illness are matters of faith and character, and should be treated as moral wrongs rather than as illnesses. I agree that some things that we typically call mental illness are not. Should we call overeaters "mentally ill"? I think not. Should we call people who take longer than a month to grieve "mentally ill"? I think not. Should we call children who are disruptive and rebellious "oppositionally defiant"? I wonder about that. Should we call pedophiles "mentally ill" people and treat their lust for children as illness? Hmmmm. It has been estimated that fifty percent of us would be classified as mentally ill, under the current DSM, if we took psychological testing. It is true that the Bible knows nothing of mental illnesses, but the Bible was written before modern science findings, certainly before behavioral science. Does everyone with atypical or extreme personalities have "personality disorders"? We have to admit that psychology is an inexact science and based on subjective observation of behavior, making it vulnerable to criticism by cynics and critics.
How We can Be Part of the Solution
There is no excuse for that co-pilot lying, by omission, about his mental health. Still, reduction of the stigma of depression of mental illness may have identified him so he would have disclosed his situation and have never been able to fly and end the lives of 150 people, including himself. I hate it when these type of stories make headlines, though I know they have to do so, to protect the public and raise awareness. But we can all help and be part of the solution. We can educate ourselves about mental illness, depression, and suicide. We can support nonprofits like Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which serves suicidal people in much of the developed world. We can volunteer for a suicide hotline. We can reach out to people in our lives who may be depressed or suicidal. And if we have faced depression, mental illness, or depression in our lives, we can share our stories. And we can reach out to the Lifeline whose number was presented at the above banner, or refer other people in crisis to it.
This banner is provided by The Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which you can find here.
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