Psychiatrist and licensed pilot Michael Bloomfield is confident that no psychological test could predict the actions of a co-pilot, and depression, hysteria and mass murder are not the same thing.
French investigators said co-pilot Andreas Lubitz apparently deliberately wanted to destroy Germanwings flight 4U9525, which had 149 other people on board. As a licensed pilot and psychiatrist, I have repeatedly run through my head various nightmarish scenarios that can occur in the cockpit. We’ll never know for sure what was going on in Lubitz’s head when the plane crashed, but it worries me that the media quickly began to blame the depression.
Depression is by no means the only reason that pushed a person to mass murder. By understanding this, we can learn important lessons for ourselves. In the meantime, in any case, it is worth waiting for the full decoding of the «black boxes».
At the moment, we have been informed that the pilot-in-command has left the cockpit, after which the cockpit door was locked, and Lubitz entered the command to descend into the autopilot. On the recording, you can hear the captain demanding to open the door, then trying to kick it, and Lubitz maintains an ominous silence all this time. Investigators know that he was alive until the last moment, because his breathing is heard.
Is it possible that he was trying to remain calm by psychologically blocking out the reality around him? Of course, we should wait until the end of the investigation, but perhaps we will be able to learn important details about the physiological and psychological state of the co-pilot in these last minutes by analyzing the rhythm of his breathing. He knew that the command entered would lead to the death of everyone on board, he heard the captain trying to break down the door, collision warnings sounded from the computers, the mountains were getting closer, and in the last moments there were screams from passengers — but was there any is Lubitz himself calm or in a panic? If we exclude rare and unlikely diseases, such as rare forms of epilepsy, calm and even breathing in such a situation may indicate that we are dealing with a cold and calculating psychopath who does not feel guilt and who is indifferent to the fate of other people. Perhaps the crime was carefully thought out in advance. Or was it a spontaneous, impulsive act of mass murder?
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He may have been unable to hear part of what was happening around him thanks to the pilot’s soundproofing headphones, but is it possible that he managed to remain calm, psychologically blocking the reality of what was happening, entering a trance-like state in the face of a mortal threat — this is called «dissociation». Or was he breathing deeply and often? Maybe he was paralyzed with fear, like everyone else on board? By answering these questions and analyzing the available evidence, we can draw up a psychological portrait of this person.
Airlines have already taken practical steps, such as requiring two people to sit in the cockpit at all times. But, perhaps, after this incident, the procedure for selecting pilots and, more importantly, the support they receive will change. A few years ago, I worked as a doctor on a helicopter ambulance, and knowing how much I love flying, my partners convinced me to train myself as a pilot. I knew that I would have to undergo a medical examination of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. One day I asked a doctor who conducted examinations what he thought about depression in pilots. He chuckled, «Such people need a psychiatric examination — no one needs a pilot who can throw a tantrum in the cockpit.» I understood what he was talking about, but I thought to myself: “How dare you imply that a person suffering from such a terrible (and common) illness as depression is ready to endanger the lives of others?”
Often, pilot candidates who have suffered from depression in the past are required to be examined by two different psychiatrists. In such examinations, doctors try to find out whether a mental illness is present at the moment, and ask the patient in detail to assess the possible risk. How was your childhood? What happened in the past? Experience with depression? Is there a tendency to impulsive behavior and violence? Will they go to the doctor if needed? Perhaps the stigmatization of mental illness prevents pilots, like many others, from seeking medical attention at the first sign of a disorder?
Most airlines conduct a psychological assessment of employees, usually using a standard tool such as a five-factor personality questionnaire. In general, they prefer harmoniously developed people. Many companies provide group training for pilot candidates, where you can identify people who work well in a team and have leadership abilities. Candidates with a criminal record are screened out.
The problem is that pilots do not undergo regular psychological or psychiatric examinations. But unfortunately, even it would not help to predict such a terrible crime. Maybe Lubitz really was a psychopath, but one must understand that, despite the enormous progress in neurophysiology, science still does not have a reliable method for diagnosing psychopathy.
All this will not console the relatives and friends of those who died in the disaster. I can’t even imagine what they are going through. I myself am now boarding a plane to America and thinking about them. But we should remember that depression, «tantrums» and mass murder are not the same thing.
Source: The Guardian, 27 March, theguardian.com