Pilots and air traffic controllers in the US could soon have an easier time achieving a healthy mental altitude – a move with implications for the safety of air travel in America. The US Senate recently approved bills aimed at encouraging aviation professionals struggling with a mental health condition get treatment. The House and president must still approve the legislation, but if that happens, the law could help those with depression and anxiety who are reluctant to seek medical care because they worry it will hurt their high-pressure career.
A 2016 survey of more than 1,800 pilots found that almost 13% met the criteria for a depression diagnosis and 4% reported having suicidal thoughts, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Health. Among European airline pilots, a quarter suffered from anxiety and 40% displayed alcohol misuse, according to a 2025 report in the Frontiers in Public Health journal. Among US air traffic controllers, 19% struggled with moderate to severe anxiety, a 2025 Collegiate Aviation Review International report states.
While many adults struggle with those issues, pilots and air traffic controllers are less likely to seek care because of the stigma and concerns that it could disqualify them from flying, according to people in the industry. In 2015, a Germanwings airline pilot, who had suffered from suicidal tendencies, deliberately flew a plane into the French Alps, causing 150 deaths. Afterwards, US senator Dianne Feinstein commissioned a report which found that the Federal Aviation Administration’s “ability to mitigate safety risks is limited by pilots’ reluctance to disclose mental health conditions”.
The Federal Aviation Administration has guidelines concerning which health conditions prohibit pilots from flying because, of course, they control the fate of thousands of people. As such, pilots must disclose their medical history and medications to an aviation medical examiner approved by Federal Aviation Administration. Until recently, the United States had much stricter rules than other countries concerning how long pilots with depression had to remain grounded.
For example, if pilots disclosed that they had started taking an antidepressant, they could not fly for a minimum of six months. In the United Kingdom, they can return to flying in as little as one month. The FAA also requires pilots to get approval from more doctors than other countries and to undergo neurocognitive testing, which other countries also do not require.
Finlayson started taking an antidepressant, which provided relief, but he could not fly for six months. He then tried to stop the drug because he thought the depression was just tied to long Covid and temporary but realized he needed it, which meant he had to wait another six months to work. The FAA also kept asking him to do more testing, he said.
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