World-famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been the victim of pilot anxiety. Aldrin defines the condition in simple terms: "I think most of my colleagues would agree that this has less to do with concern for your safety than with anxiety that your performance will not measure up to expectations. The big worry is that you are on the verge of messing up, and that might lead to a problem, endangering the mission and the crew."
For many pilots, anxiety they have never felt before can sneak into their minds after a particularly bad experience, or even hearing about one. Ron Nielsen, a former pilot and founder of the fear of flying website Fearlessflight.com, agrees. Says Nielsen: "[Bad events] trigger the flow of neurons in the brain and make [pilots] anxious or nervous." This exposure can cause anxiety to build upon itself, turning one scary experience into a full-blown phobia.
A further threat to professional pilots who experience anxiety is the fear of losing their jobs. Most pilots are disqualified from their positions if they have any medical history of mental instability. Having this lurking in the back of an already stressed mind can put a lot of pressure on pilots to try and ignore their anxiety. Many focus more on keeping it quiet than treating it.
For 70 years, pilots were not allowed to take mood-stabilizing drugs. If they were caught, they were grounded. This ban on medication has recently been lifted by the American government, in an effort to remove the stigma attached to mood disorders and allow pilots to be open about the pills many were already taking. The four pills now allowed--Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa or Lexapro--are classified as anti-depressants but are also used for anxiety and mood stability.
Several therapeutic approaches can help a pilot overcome an anxiety of flying. Therapists, psychiatrists and counselors can help a pilot conquer anxieties just like they would any other client. And though not useful for all pilots, Aldrin offers simple and strong comfort to other pilots with anxiety about flights: "There is hardly anything productive about worry or fear when you can't do anything about the circumstances. Why be anxious until something happens?"
