Common mental disorders among US army aviation personnel: Prevalence and return to duty

Abstract

Discussion focuses on the importance of aviation personnel receiving mental health treatment when problems are not severe to maximize the likelihood of returning to duty.

An Orientation to Aviation Psychiatry

“…In our sample, they comprised five cases (17% of 30 patients). Britt et al (2018) also noted these conditions among US Army aviation personnel. This paradox between aviation psychiatry and psychiatry at large may be ascribed to the propensity for even minor or evanescent emotional, cognitive, interper-sonal, or behavioral symptoms to interfere with safe aviation performance.…”

“…These aviation cases reflected common psychiatric disorders observed in most general populations and in other aviation clinical samples, that is, anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders (Britt et al, 2018; Canfield et al, 2012; Mulder and de Rooy, 2018). Psychosis and various brain dysfunctions also occurred in this sample.…”

“…Several other trends underway may also affect mental health in “safety sensitive” aviation occupations. For example, airline pilots today seldom come from military aviation training, which thoroughly screened aviation workers for psychiatric disorder (Britt et al, 2018; King and Flynn, 1995; Preston, 1957; VanDam, 2018).…”

Psychophysiological Stress Status of Soldiers Prior to an Operative Deployment

“…Chronic exposure to stressful events in military units was related to the prevalence of anxiety disorders and an increase in diagnoses over time in this millennium, with a prevalence of 0.8 per 100 service members for first service occurrence, followed by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a rate of 0.5 out of every 100 [ 35 ]. In this context, the predominance of PTSD diagnosis has increased in recent years due to recent armed conflicts such as those occurring in Afghanistan or Iraq [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. PTSD is related to trauma and stress and occurs as a result of experiencing a traumatic event, which leads to recurring memories and dreams, amnesia, social isolation sleep problems, among other symptoms [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Evidências De Validade Interna E Externa Do Inventário De Burnout No Trabalho Em Uma Amostra De Pilotos Militares Brasileiros

“…Em relação aos pilotos militares, foram encontrados três estudos recentes sobre prevalência, conduzidos a partir dos registros médicos da Força Aérea americana e do Exército americano (Britt, McGhee & Quattlebaum, 2018;Lollis, Marsh, Sowin & Thompson, 2009;Marsh, Sowin & Thompson, 2010). Lollis e colegas ( 2009 No estudo mais recente (Britt et al, 2018), os autores investigaram a ocorrência de transtornos psicológicos em pilotos, controladores de tráfego aéreo e operadores de aeronave remotamente pilotada do Exército americano, que tivessem recebido algum diagnóstico de transtornos de ajustamento, transtorno depressivo, transtornos de ansiedade e de estresse pós traumático (TEPT) em um período de cinco anos. Dos 1115 casos avaliados, 243 (21,8%) indivíduos receberam o diagnóstico de mais de um transtorno, sendo o de ajustamento o mais recorrente (38% dos casos), seguido pelo TEPT (21,5%), transtornos de ansiedade (20%) e transtorno depressivo (19,5%).…”