Complicated Medical Question

[Unregistered]

Hi All,

I just need some advise, I am going in to get a new medical soon. I have seen a therapist for some relationship issues I had with a boyfriend, bad break up cheating etc. No diagnoses or meds required and my therapist will write me letter stating just that. Now the problem is... A) do I mark yes on any of the "have you ever in life etc" b) this gets more complicated, on my previous medical I did not report the visits. However, it was not out of purposely lying to the faa it was a judgement call (bad one) that since it required no meds or diagnosis and the subject matter was intensely personal in nature. I felt best not reporting it (after review of the fars and advise from other i realized this was in error) Which I know now was false and I want to come clean and apologize for my error and correct it. For what it's worth, I'm gay... My therapist and I talked a lot about being gay and relationship in nature are tougher to maintain especially in the area I live in. And since sexually orientation is not protected under federal law I'm fearful of the ame or the faa to discriminate against me, even though the therapist said im mentally fit for flying, the reviewing processes (ie extra testing etc). I plan on reporting the visits with an explanation explaining exactly what happened and coming clean. What would an ame say in regards to the visits and what is the faa going to do to me?

Sincerely,
Frightful of the FAA

 

[bbchien]

FAA does not care about your sexual orientation. Period.
You do have to report this unless there was a civil union ("Marriage counseling is psecifically excluded from reproting". But if it involved no meds, just put it on there and the AME will yawn.

 

[Unregistered]

I (not the OP) reported therapy sessions to the AME at my first medical but used the word 'anxiety' in my verbal description of the symptoms that prompted those visits. That got me a deferral and a request for a statement from the therapist to be sent to the Aeromedical Division. No formal diagnosis, no medication.

 

[bbchien]

Anxiety is a different ball of wax!

To the OP: I missed that you failed to report it last time. In that case, I'd get the record and possess it at the time of you next Medical.

Not to troll, but you need someone to read it carefully from an FAA perspective, and NOT the FAA. Once you have failure to report, you need to be certain that the stuff is well documented and for example, doesn't say "anxiety disorder NOS" or the like.

Sorry, I should have paid more detailed attention to the original post.

 

[Unregistered]

Anxiety is a different ball of wax!

To the OP: I missed that you failed to report it last time. In that case, I'd get the record and possess it at the time of you next Medical.

Not to troll, but you need someone to read it carefully from an FAA perspective, and NOT the FAA. Once you have failure to report, you need to be certain that the stuff is well documented and for example, doesn't say "anxiety disorder NOS" or the like.

Sorry, I should have paid more detailed attention to the original post.

I'm the OP, when you say get the record you mean have the therapist write a report stating the reasons I saw her and that it didn't require meds or a diagnosis? And a statement from me explaining why i failed to report it on the last medical?

 

[bbchien]

Well, not quite. I just got a record corrected today. My letter states, it was an indavertent omission as it has not been a problem for six years and one can easily see how it could have been forgotten.

The proper documentation with the transmission documented start, stop dates of medication and the doc's assessment of the underlying diagnosis, including a after 6 year followup that says currently he is doing well and has no symptoms and nothing to treat. The past record was included.

Unfortuantely, who knows what the therapist will write. How can a therapist admit to giving "therapy" for no diagnosis? That will simply not be credible. If the therapist billed insurance, there was for SURE a diagnosis. Insurances will NOT pay a dime without a diagnosis. Besides, if that were the case, the therapist would lose his/her license in all 50 states. So he/she is not going to write that for FEDERAL TESTIMONY.

Thus the workaround: "The patient/client was thought to have this-or-that. Symptoms were this-or-that. He was treated for this time period. I have seen him in the last 90 days, and he has no remaining symptoms or anything to treat".

I can't be much clearer in public unless you wish to post details which I am SURE you do not.

 

[Unregistered]

Well, not quite. I just got a record corrected today. My letter states, it was an indavertent omission as it has not been a problem for six years and one can easily see how it could have been forgotten.

The proper documentation with the transmission documented start, stop dates of medication and the doc's assessment of the underlying diagnosis, including a after 6 year followup that says currently he is doing well and has no symptoms and nothing to treat. The past record was included.

Unfortuantely, who knows what the therapist will write. How can a therapist admit to giving "therapy" for no diagnosis? That will simply not be credible. If the therapist billed insurance, there was for SURE a diagnosis. Insurances will NOT pay a dime without a diagnosis. Besides, if that were the case, the therapist would lose his/her license in all 50 states. So he/she is not going to write that for FEDERAL TESTIMONY.

Thus the workaround: "The patient/client was thought to have this-or-that. Symptoms were this-or-that. He was treated for this time period. I have seen him in the last 90 days, and he has no remaining symptoms or anything to treat".

I can't be much clearer in public unless you wish to post details which I am SURE you do not.

In regards to the visits, after the first session... She specifically stated that I did not warrant a diagnostic code or medicine. She did state however that if I wanted my insurance to cover it she would have to diagnose me with something for them to pay. Since my insurance doesn't even cover therapist visits, I paid by check. I saw her some more to make sure I was dealing with it correctly and continued to be stable every since then...

 

[Jeff Oslick]

You do have to report this unless there was a civil union ("Marriage counseling is psecifically excluded from reproting".

It would seem to me that excluding marriage counseling from reporting, but having the equivalent counseling outside of marriage as reportable is discrimination and a violation of the equal protection clause.

No diagnosis, meds or insurance record. I'm not seeing the benefit to opening this can of worms.

Next thing you know, the FAA is going to tell you to report it if you got sent to the Principal's Office too many times in 4th grade.

 

[bbchien]

Oh. WHY didn't you say so?

Unreg, in that case, please e-mail me from this site, with a real email addy so I can respond to you entirely off board.....

 

[RJM62]

It would seem to me that excluding marriage counseling from reporting, but having the equivalent counseling outside of marriage as reportable is discrimination and a violation of the equal protection clause.

No diagnosis, meds or insurance record. I'm not seeing the benefit to opening this can of worms.

Next thing you know, the FAA is going to tell you to report it if you got sent to the Principal's Office too many times in 4th grade.

Next thing? That already happens every day. Where do you think 80 - 90 percent of ADHD diagnoses come from? Ordinary kids who would have just been considered "spirited," "energetic," or possibly "mischievous" when I was a kid now get slapped with a psych dx that affects the rest of their lives.

It's a sad, sad thing.

-Rich

 

[Sac Arrow]

Next thing? That already happens every day. Where do you think 80 - 90 percent of ADHD diagnoses come from? Ordinary kids who would have just been considered "spirited," "energetic," or possibly "mischievous" when I was a kid now get slapped with a psych dx that affects the rest of their lives.

It's a sad, sad thing.

-Rich

I've never understood it, myself.

 

[bbchien]

Well since the OP has not visibly returned, I will say for him that Jeff Oslick says some very cogent things about this.....and there is no "findability" for the event(s).....