Undiagnosed Anxiety

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A few years ago I was riding my motorcycle (sportbike) and had the unfortunate luck to encounter a bad cop. He had an attitude against sportbikers and took it out on me by hitting me with his cruiser. I was at a standstill waiting for the traffic light, and despite his assertion, everything about me and my bike are 100% legal.

Fast-forward to today, I have an attorney pursuing a case against the officer and the department due to pain and injuries sustained. It never occurred to me that I could have psychological scars, namely anxiety.

The route that I was traveling that day was my favorite route to my favorite hangout spot. 20-30 bikes can be seen there almost any time of the day and you’re promised a good time whenever you show. I now avoid traveling that route. The times I do, I feel uneasy with the memory of that day a few years ago still lingering. Often I go that way purposely so I can try and get over the feeling, but it’s still there.

Today it occurred to me, perhaps I should bring this up. Not only do I have debilitating pain about once a year (no idea what triggers it) that disallows me to stand erect but I’ve got this dis-ease whenever I’m in that area and also when I’m riding near Police cruisers. I’ve also lost a LOT of my enthusiasm for riding since the accident (which if anyone knows me would say that speaks volumes).

Before I go down this road (no pun intended), I’d like to know if this has the potential to affect my aviation medical. I currently have a Class3 but thinking I want to at-least go for Class2. This anxiety doesn’t seem to manifest in any other way except associated with riding (and during stalls training, but I have been told that’s normal for everybody).

…and FWIW, I read through this thread before posting http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40455
 
Hi there. Im one of the posters from the thread you read, and from what I've gathered it probably would have to be reported. Im no shrink, but from what I have learned about my condition (PTSD) there are more factors than just anxiety that support a diagnosis of ptsd. Although circumstances between your and my experiances may be different, some of the effects are similar. Ive had a lot of success as far as overcoming my condition; there was a time when I was absolutely petrified to drive down the highway because of the litter and dead critters along it which made me think of IED's. Between having a support structure of friends who I know I can speak with about things (who don't think its funny to yell "RPG") and some times seeking the help of a psychologist, I have slowly but surely reached the point where I no longer feel axious at all, nor do I have any other issues that used to interfere with my life. It's not an easy road (no pun intended lol) to conquer, but it certainly is worth it to face the issues with help. Clearly you have already made the most important step of recognizing an issue and seeking help for it, which for many is the hardest step to take. Your way of "fixing" the issue might be different from mine, but FWIW, I would conciensously tell myself that this is America, not IED alley, and after passing the percieved threat, again, conciensously laugh at myself for allowing the thought to even bother me. It takes time and conciensous effort, but given both, there is nothing you cannot achieve. I hope this is helpful, and good luck to you!
 
I lost my medical over a situational anxiety issue. It took me two years and close to $10,000 to get it back. The medicine used to treat anxiety commonly refered to as ssri's are now accepted by the FAA with some caviates. Anxiety is a form of depression and the FAA will put you through your paces. I will offer you this advice, try to treat this by going to counseling rather than medicine, it does work, number two do not tell the FAA, you will lose your medical trust me. I ended up settling for a third class medical.
 
Gotta disagree with the "do not tell the FAA" comment. The consequences for lying (either by making a false statement or failing to make a true statement) are much worse than the consequences for dealing with it the way the FAA expects you too. And as we've seen recently, it's perfectly OK for the gov't to do data mining and find out where you haven't told a consistent story.
 
TMetzinger said:
Gotta disagree with the "do not tell the FAA" comment. The consequences for lying (either by making a false statement or failing to make a true statement) are much worse than the consequences for dealing with it the way the FAA expects you too. And as we've seen recently, it's perfectly OK for the gov't to do data mining and find out where you haven't told a consistent story.
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Let me clarify the "do not tell the. FAA statement", do not offer up to the ame that you have anxiety, if you have taken medication for it, you don't have a choice. If you can treat your anxiety without medication, then I would not tell the FAA.
 
Unregistered said:
Let me clarify the "do not tell the. FAA statement", do not offer up to the ame that you have anxiety, if you have taken medication for it, you don't have a choice. If you can treat your anxiety without medication, then I would not tell the FAA.
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I think the better advice is that even if you feel Anxious it may not be Clinical "Anxiety". If you can treat the dis-ease feeling by talking to a counselor and neither being given meds nor being given a diagnosis of "Anxiety" You probably do not need to tell the FAA about it (Get a final call on that from Dr. Bruce)

I think in the long run to the OP's actual question is that if it's in the law suit it will have to be disclosed.
 
If you're going to sue the cop for it, then I'd say you need to report it, and accept the fact that it may impact your medical.

My personal suggestion would be to figure out how to deal with it on your own. The physical injuries should be enough to win the lawsuit. But then again, I'm kinda like this guy when it comes to being a therapist:


Seeing a therapist who's not like me is another good option.

:)
 
Lawyers are interested in maximizing injuries to increase the probability of a big payout for their clients and themselves. Unfortunately, this can be a problem when you go to get a medical. I don't think you can have it both ways. Anxiety bad enough to justify compensation may be sufficient to ground you. It is not uncommon for symptoms to improve dramatically after a payout but the FAA may require a significant period of time before allowing a pilot to return to flying status. Dr. Bruce is the authority here. If the anxiety is not disabling then it might be better to rely on the physical injuries for compensation. The lawyer might not like this since it may reduce his or her compensation if working on contingency. If the anxiety has not been diagnosed by a physician and does not meet the clinical definition then you might be ok.
 
Gary F said:
Lawyers are interested in maximizing injuries to increase the probability of a big payout for their clients and themselves. Unfortunately, this can be a problem when you go to get a medical. I don't think you can have it both ways. Anxiety bad enough to justify compensation may be sufficient to ground you. It is not uncommon for symptoms to improve dramatically after a payout but the FAA may require a significant period of time before allowing a pilot to return to flying status. Dr. Bruce is the authority here. If the anxiety is not disabling then it might be better to rely on the physical injuries for compensation. The lawyer might not like this since it may reduce his or her compensation if working on contingency. If the anxiety has not been diagnosed by a physician and does not meet the clinical definition then you might be ok.
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Yes and no. I was like most people after a serious accident, I minimized the impact on myself. You do this for psychological reasons, so you can feel as "normal" as possible. Even with my injuries (a couple of surgeries, severe pain [to say the least], and some nightmares) I was trying to minimize the problem. This is while my wife is asking me if I'm ok because I was crying in my sleep (or at least sounding like I was) at the time.

Don't minimize or exagerate your issues. After my accident I could barely ride my bike (mind you this a little over a year later, because I wasn't allowed to stand for 3 months my leg was shattered so badly), and I definitely had anxiety. Heck, sometimes I would try to get on it and start shaking. The trick is (for me anyway) the anxiety was conducting a specific activity, riding my bike. I didn't get it riding in the car, although I'm definitely not a fan of that particular intersection. I won't even go into the permanent pain (I don't have any cartilege left on my damaged knee, and will need a knee replacement before another 5 years is up) issues that can crop up depending on the injury.

Here's my questions for you:

1) is this a full-time problem or is it limited to a specific activity?
2) are you minimizing the problem or is your lawyer pushing to make it greater?

Given how many people respond to trauma, I don't doubt it's limited and you are minimizing. Whatever you do, don't hide it. Getting busted out is far worse than grounding yourself temporarily. Worse, if it really is full-time anxiety, you could lock up without help. Do that during a takeoff or landing (in particular) and you could become a statistic.

Other than that, I'll defer to Dr. Bruce for the doc point of view. My view is that of a guy that went through an accident, and what went through my head after I analyzed it.
 
First, you need to wait for Bruce before committing one way or the other. However...

Have you been diagnosed? Have you received treatment (including medication)? Is it in any medical record anywhere? If not, then I don't think there's anything requiring a "yes" in block 18m just because riding down that road gives you bad memories. Of course, I do think you're going to have to report that "debilitating pain" and those other physical injuries with a "yes" in 18x and an explanation below, but that's another story.
 
I am the OP.

My injuries were documented as concussion (after original incident 2008) and numerous back, shoulder and neck issues. Treatment lasted over a year for pain management and chiropractics. When I experience pain, I choose to just deal with it (slow down) and usually it is lowered in severity and last 2-4 days. If I have a major episode, the first year I had 2 or 3 major episodes but I haven't had one in over 2yrs, by the time I'm back on my feet I simply get back to living my life and do not go back to see the chiro.

During my treatment with several doctors, specialists, etc no one EVER asked about anxiety, I came up with this through my own self-discovery. I do not believe that I am minizing or exxagerating as things seem to get easier with time but the effects are still there and frankly I'm disappointed with the way the County Gov't has been unresponsive and uncaring over the conduct of one of their officers (the county that I live, own a home and pay taxes in- also the county I'm suing).

I haven't talked with my lawyer about the anxiety because I believe that his response will create a paper trail to support an increased claim. The thread responses have given me things that I had not before considered. I would also like to hear Dr Bruce's opinion as well.
 
Not a Doc, so take with that in mind. Anxiety is normal and fealt by all in tense or seemingly tense situations. Debiltating anxiety is a different story. Does it affect your ability to make rational decisions? Does it affect yur judgement? Do you freeze or panic, or is it just a feeling in the pit of your stomach, sweaty palm, etc?

Ask these questions before you go any further with diagnosis and/or treatment.
 
Anxiety is common so it is not classified as a disease until certain criteria are met.

1. Excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities, occurring more days than not for at least six months, that are out of proportion to the likelihood or impact of feared events.
2. The worry is pervasive and difficult to control.
3. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past six months):
Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)
4. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
 
Gary F said:
Anxiety is common so it is not classified as a disease until certain criteria are met.

1. Excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities, occurring more days than not for at least six months, that are out of proportion to the likelihood or impact of feared events.
2. The worry is pervasive and difficult to control.
3. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past six months):
Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)
4. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
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Where I come from, these critieria can be commonly met when the police are involved. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

Case in point:
Although it's never happened to me, I do know someone who (in the 80's IIRC) was brutally beaten by police because he was in the wrong neighborhood at night. Today I know him as an upstanding citizen and a loving and caring father and grandfather.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Where I come from, these critieria can be commonly met when the police are involved. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

Case in point:
Although it's never happened to me, I do know someone who (in the 80's IIRC) was brutally beaten by police because he was in the wrong neighborhood at night. Today I know him as an upstanding citizen and a loving and caring father and grandfather.
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What you are describing sounds more like PTSD. True anxiety is often a manifestation of depression. Many providers will treat anxiety with medications even if you do not meet the DSM criteria so let them know you are a pilot and that certain medications are not allowed or may complicate the re-certification process.
 
jesus h christ...

dont report a ******n thing to anybody. I dont understand the mentality of coming to an internet forum when this is easily fixable on your own. The FAA is NOT here to help you by any means.

Determine how you can fix this on your own. Enjoy flying. Enjoy your life. Done.
 
Unregistered said:
jesus h christ...

dont report a ******n thing to anybody. I dont understand the mentality of coming to an internet forum when this is easily fixable on your own. The FAA is NOT here to help you by any means.

Determine how you can fix this on your own. Enjoy flying. Enjoy your life. Done.
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He can do this if he doesn't need insurance. Medical certification is not about your ability to fly. It's about enforcing a payout when the sh_t hits the fan.

Concussion: This requires a bunch of psychological testing. Mild concussive disease generally is recertifiable.

PTSD: FAA hates this. There are actually about 40 fatalities in the 1996-to 2006 period for PICs who had this diagnosis and were on illegal medicines. This requires a psychitrist's evaluation and a number of tests that also overlap with #1.

If your lawyer made the case that you had these, then you have plenty of public record that makes diagnoses.

This sort of certification when successful, is a $5,000 enterprise.

I'd just go fly an LSA, personally.
 
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