It is said that bipolar disorder is caused by biochemical instability in the transmission of nerve impulses to the brain. This can be an inborn vulnerability triggered by environmental situations. Some of these situations include an upsetting life experience, substance abuse, lack of sleep or some other excessive stimulation. There is a significant amount of research that points out genetic inheritance as a possible cause. In other words it would be difficult to avoid bipolar disorder if any of these issues apply to an individual. .
The Federal Aviation Administration has set up regulations pertaining to bipolar disorder. Federal Aviation Regulation Part 67.107(a)(3) states that a pilot can have no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of a bipolar disorder. So, if a candidate does fall into this category he or she will be denied an aviation medical certificate. The Clinical Practice Guideline for Mood Disorders, developed for the Aerospace Medical Association best defines the reasoning behind this denial. An excerpt from this guideline regarding aeromedical concerns states that:.
-"Mood disorders can be associated with a variety of emotional and behavioral anomalies including depressed mood, suicidal attempts/ideation or completed suicide, impaired judgment, inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, disorders of sleep, significant weight loss or gain, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, distractibility, flight of ideas, inappropriate guilt feelings, indecisiveness, and excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for untoward consequences (spending sprees, promiscuity, etc.). These emotional and behavioral anomalies are incompatible with aviation safety and flying duties." .
Due to the likely hood of recurrence any pilot with bipolar disorder is usually permanently disqualified. .
How exactly could bipolar disorder compromise aviation safety and flying duties? As Kay Redfield Jamison Ph.
