A Review of the US Army Experience Using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in Aircrew
Abstract
As many as 300,000 soldiers may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety and less than half of them seek care, citing adverse career implications and stigmatization. Aircrew members are particularly prone to under-reporting illness, especially mental health issues, for fear of losing their flight status. Currently the US Army is the only US DoD service that allows aircrew diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and/or depression to perform aircrew duties while taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Such use has been allowed with waiver since 2004. The purpose of this investigation was to review the US Army's experience in allowing aircrew to take SSRIs. The US Army Aviation Epidemiology Data Registry (AEDR), a family of databases storing medical and occupational history as well as medical and flight physical information on Army aircrew members, was queried for Army aviators with PTSD, anxiety, and/or depression, or who took SSRIs between 2004-2009. The particulars of the Army's policy, including mandatory grounding times when initiating treatment; the implications of SSRI dosing changes; psychiatric evaluation requirements; and waiver policies will be discussed. Recognizing that mental health concerns are greatly under-reported by aircrew, and that the diagnosis, treatment, and waiver of such disorders remain a relatively rare event, we provide our analysis of current trends. We also provide insight into how the aggressive diagnosis and treatment of PTSD, depression and/or anxiety, in a select population such as aviators, can have far-reaching effects in enhancing the human performance and resilience of soldiers exposed to the trauma of war and the stressors of military life in the 21st century.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA567917
Entities
People
- James L. Persson
- James Mcghee
- Joseph F. Mckeon
- Martin Quattlebaum
Organizations
- United States Army Aeromedical Research Lab