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Guest
What is question 18M looking for, and what am I obliged to answer?
For context - this would relate to a class 3 medical, which I have never previously held (or applied for).
18M asks about a “Mental Disorder” and then lists “depression, anxiety, etc” - meaning that the inclusion of those terms are as non-exhaustive examples of types of disorders that could fall into this category, NOT that depression or anxiety are of themselves disorders. So the defining element of the question is “Mental Disorder”.
The form does not define “Mental Disorder”, so I looked it up.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “mental disorders” are serious, lasting, endemic issues: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3101504/)
So, SERIOUS and ongoing issues. Things that are not transitory. NOT “a few tough months around XXX life event”.
Ok, but what is the FAA looking for? It’s vague. The best additional information I can find are in the basic med requirements. In the documentation, the FAA specifically defines “mental health disorder” in a way that is consistent with the concept of the NLM - meaning, severe and endemic issues. Here are the criteria for basic med that require a special issuance:
So, based on this, is it reasonable to conclude that, when answering 18M, one is answering about a diagnosis of these types of substantial, non-circumstantial events and not “a few tough months around xxx life event” (e.g. one is bipolar vs one sought help for increased anxiety during the pandemic)?
For context - this would relate to a class 3 medical, which I have never previously held (or applied for).
18M asks about a “Mental Disorder” and then lists “depression, anxiety, etc” - meaning that the inclusion of those terms are as non-exhaustive examples of types of disorders that could fall into this category, NOT that depression or anxiety are of themselves disorders. So the defining element of the question is “Mental Disorder”.
The form does not define “Mental Disorder”, so I looked it up.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “mental disorders” are serious, lasting, endemic issues: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3101504/)
“In addition, this syndrome or pattern must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event, for example, the death of a loved one. Whatever its original cause, it must currently be considered a manifestation of a behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual.”
So, SERIOUS and ongoing issues. Things that are not transitory. NOT “a few tough months around XXX life event”.
Ok, but what is the FAA looking for? It’s vague. The best additional information I can find are in the basic med requirements. In the documentation, the FAA specifically defines “mental health disorder” in a way that is consistent with the concept of the NLM - meaning, severe and endemic issues. Here are the criteria for basic med that require a special issuance:
Medical Conditions Requiring One Special Issuance Before Operating under BasicMed
- A mental health disorder, limited to an established medical history or clinical diagnosis of—
- A personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts;
- A psychosis, defined as a case in which an individual —
- Has manifested delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of psychosis; or
- May reasonably be expected to manifest delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of psychosis;
- A bipolar disorder; or
- A substance dependence within the previous 2 years, as defined in §67.307(a)(4) of 14 Code of Federal Regulations
So, based on this, is it reasonable to conclude that, when answering 18M, one is answering about a diagnosis of these types of substantial, non-circumstantial events and not “a few tough months around xxx life event” (e.g. one is bipolar vs one sought help for increased anxiety during the pandemic)?
