Being required to see a psychologist and psychiatrist for reasons never explained

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ty09

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ty09
So I applied for a class 1 flight med before I started ground school because I wanted to be sure I could get one before even trying to become a career pilot.

I have no medical health issues. My appointment with my Ame went ok, though I would never see him again by choice. Fast forward to 3 weeks later, i get a letter from the FAA saying I have to see a psychologist and a psychiatrist for a boatload of mental screening and testing, with no reason attached. I called the AME and the faa to find out whats going on and why, and apparently its because I was on anti-depressants in my past. I have no hospitalizations, nor official diagnosis of clinical depression. I was prescribed them about 10 years ago when I was in college and having a hard time due to stress and and the loss of two family pets.

I never went off them even though I spoke with my primary doctor about them because she told me the dose was so low that it wouldn't hurt to keep taking them. I stopped taking them 6 weeks before my appointment to my AME to be in line with what the FAA regs say on their website.

So the AME is all but refusing to speak with me at all and saying I should route all questions and information straight to the FAA, and the FAA is telling me in person they are "reviewing the info", only to repeatedly just send me carbon copies of the same letters saying I need to see the psychiatrist and psychologist.I am now down to my last 30 days to do this or they will "refer my application to legal action or denial".

I am looking at close to or over 3k just to have these psychological tests done, which is money i really dont want to spend since I still have to pay for ground school, and flight time before I even GET to my instrument ratings. Even though I have no formal diagnosis of depression, have never been hospitalized, and have had no psychological issues in my life outside seeing the doctor that once regarding my issues 10 years ago.

Does anyone have any advice or ideas for me? I honestly am really starting to feel like my AME is sabotaging me somehow. He was a bit of a stuck up jerk in the appointment, and it was obvious he did not care for me as a patient or person in the slightest. Is it just frustrated paranoia over this whole thing?
 
I did the same thing. Actually closer to $5K when it's done. Have to go through Dr. Chien or you'll be wasting your money.


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ty09 said:
I am looking at close to or over 3k just to have these psychological tests done, which is money i really dont want to spend since I still have to pay for ground school, and flight time before I even GET to my instrument ratings.
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You won’t be spending ANY money if you get denied. Get with Dr Bruce stat!
 
Pretty standard set of testing for that history. The AME probably should have had you follow one of the SSRI protocols, but what’s done is done. Best to get hold of Dr. Bruce Chien at the link given and follow his advice to the letter. There was another recent post about someone with a similar on again off again SSRI history. Dr. Chien helped them and it worked out, but took some time.
 
ty09 said:
...

I have no medical health issues. ...I was on anti-depressants in my past. ...
I never went off them even ...I stopped taking them 6 weeks before my appointment to my AME to be in line with what the FAA regs say on their website.
...
Does anyone have any advice or ideas for me?
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Doc Bruce Chien. Aeromedicaldoc.com

Mike will probably be by shortly to post his cliff notes on the medical process, but you needed to have read this before you went to the AME.
 
TCABM said:
Doc Bruce Chien. Aeromedicaldoc.com

Mike will probably be by shortly to post his cliff notes on the medical process, but you needed to have read this before you went to the AME.
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Yes to Dr. Bruce, and yes, doing a medical certification consult before the exam would have been preferred. But for the moment, I don't have have any "cliff notes" that can help.

@ty09 . . . I hear what you say about having no formal diagnosis of depression and no psychological issues from your point of view. But from the FAA's point of view, your long history of taking the SSRI medication points to something that they think is serious enough that they want to be certain of "how serious" before they issue your certification.

If the length of your medication usage was really short (a few months), then a properly worded letter from the prescribing doc saying that the depression was situational and the stimulus is gone and you no longer need the meds would likely be all the FAA is needed. But your usage of 10 years is telling the FAA there is more to the story, and they want to know the nitty gritty details. And from a Psychiatrist that knows what the FAA is seeking and how to get their questions answered.

And the only way to do that is the psychological testing. And that is the only official way they will accept to determine where on the spectrum you are.

And yeah, the cost of the exam is steep and totally out of your pocket. But think of this... once done, it's done. For good. And if the outcome is favorable... it's still done and you can flip your kilt up in the general direction of Oklahoma City any time you feel like it.

upload_2018-10-18_22-45-40.gif


But not doing it will mean denial of your medical, which will effectively squash your dream of joining your buddies at the major airlines.

Regarding the cost, $3000 is just a drop in the bucket on your way to the right seat of an airline. $18,000 to $20,000 might get you through Private and instrument at minimum hours... but keep in mind that you need 1,500 hours to get that interview. A budget of $60,000 if not more is gonna be needed. Getting to CFI and being paid to teach others can help offset some of this... but you still have many hundreds of hours of rental expenses in your future. And at $100-180 per hour depending on the aircraft . . . Well, hopefully your good at the math. So with respect and tough love about your whining on the $3000 to $5000 for this testing . . . Suck it up buttercup . . . And go get it done so you can get your ca-rear launched.


And a repeat to hire Dr. Bruce Chien to manage your case. He is one of the 4 authors of the protocol that will allow you to overcome this hurdle. So of all the AME's in the land he is a top choice for you to get past this hurdle

But a fair warning . . . He does not suffer whiners, applicants who won't listen, or pilots who think they know more than him from how they are feeling or from a Google search query. His case and patient load is huge and he has no time for those who demonstrate with actions that they don't want his help. If you truly want success with his help, you must be humble, ready to listen, and willing to follow his directions. His fee is a pittence compared to the amount you'd spend wandering around in the dark on your own with a random AME's who don't know how to properly help you.

Best of luck and keep us in the loop as you progress.
 
Lindberg said:
You'd think. But he said everything went well. And then he seemed surprised to get an FAA letter.
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Re-reading, there is no mention of issuance or deferral. . . So we'll just have to wait for @ty09 to return and tell us what did happen before he left the office.
 
No, i was not issued a medical. I was told by the AME that he would send everything off and the FAA would respond later. If Aggie is correct, I guess it doesnt matter if he didnt like me or not. What made me think he did is that he made a lot of comments during the exam about my age, even though im 25. Things like people your age dont usually know what they want to do, i dont see pilots that arnt older, some snide remarks when I told him why I wanted to be a pilot and my plan to get there.

My original plan was to out of pocket ground school and my first 50-100 hours, then ask around at some of the airlines around my city and the pilot schools to see if I could find a company that would sponsor me up to the req number of hours to be a full time pilot with them or join one of the pilot training programs being run by horizon air or alaska. I dont have 30k in cash to do it all myself, and im very reluctant to get involved with private loans.
 
You are very wise not to get involved with loans, private or otherwise, as a general rule but I'm not going to say you shouldn't pursue this.

You got screwed by two doctors, most especially the second. (Well three if you count the AME.) The first threw pills at you over a temporary grief situation and the second??? "Well it's a low dose so no reason not to take it." Really??? That's so wrong on so many levels.

Yes you will have to spend the $3-$5 K to unring this bell. If it had been less than two years you might not have had to. The key was that you had one temporary situation so it was a transient depression, not a chronic condition. But the FAA doesn't consider ten years transient and will not take your word for it that you just kept taking them because, why not?

I totally agree you should never go back to that AME. He should have warned you that the FAA would require this testing and given you the option of waiting before sending the application which would have avoided a denial. But that ship has now sailed so if you don't get it done you'll be denied, which will lock you out of Sport Pilot should you decide to do that just for fun. Did the AME tell you that?

Repeat what all others have said: Dr. Bruce Chien. What he charges is less than a drop compared to what the testing will be and he will know exactly how to proceed that will get this the fastest, assuming the testing proves you "normal".

Best of luck.
 
ty09 said:
some snide remarks when I told him why I wanted to be a pilot and my plan to get there.

My original plan was to out of pocket ground school and my first 50-100 hours, then ask around at some of the airlines around my city and the pilot schools to see if I could find a company that would sponsor me up to the req number of hours to be a full time pilot with them or join one of the pilot training programs being run by horizon air or alaska. I dont have 30k in cash to do it all myself, and im very reluctant to get involved with private loans.
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If you told him what you've just told us, I suspect his remarks weren't so much snide as they were realistic. I know of no airline sponsoring anyone with 100 hours in their logbook. Ever. I know of no smaller companies doing that either. There is a hiring boom going on right now for airline pilots and that's a good thing. But good as things are, I don't think they're so good that just asking around the local airline or flight school will get you several hundred hours of training and experience in exchange for agreeing to work for them. If you can't pay it out of pocket and you don't want to get loans, you might want to consider coming up with a financing plan that's a little more solid than I'll just ask around for sponsors before you go investing in 100 hours of training out of pocket.
 
It never, ever fails. Every time this comes up, it's the same story: "I was prescribed anti-depressants, but I was never diagnosed". Read this carefully: YES YOU WERE. In order to prescribe you the medication, a diagnosis WAS made. It has to have been. Doctors can't just give out medication because they feel like it. There was a diagnosis.

So start over. "I was diagnosed with depression and..."

The first thing you need to do is find out what your diagnosis actually was. And man do I pray you didn't answer the medical certificate application incorrectly, because if you did that, you're really screwed.
 
mryan75 said:
It never, ever fails. Every time this comes up, it's the same story: "I was prescribed anti-depressants, but I was never diagnosed". Read this carefully: YES YOU WERE. In order to prescribe you the medication, a diagnosis WAS made. It has to have been. Doctors can't just give out medication because they feel like it. There was a diagnosis.

So start over. "I was diagnosed with depression and..."

The first thing you need to do is find out what your diagnosis actually was. And man do I pray you didn't answer the medical certificate application incorrectly, because if you did that, you're really screwed.
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I suspect what often happens is the diagnosis sent to the insurance company is never verbalized directly to the patient. From the patient's point of view, they mentioned some difficulty with this or that detail of life to their doctor, the doctor says, "Here's some pills, see if that helps," and then the doctor types in a code for anxiety or depression without ever stating clearly to the patient, "You have Depression." So you might not be intentionally lying if you don't say you've been diagnosed with depression.

Finding out exactly what is in your record is definitely the first thing to do. You (OP) say you have no official diagnosis of depression, but there is an official diagnosis of something, you can be sure of that. Best case will be your doctor coded situational depression. But explaining why you continued for 10 or 5 or whatever years is what's driving the demand for all the testing.
 
Rushie said:
I suspect what often happens is the diagnosis sent to the insurance company is never verbalized directly to the patient. From the patient's point of view, they mentioned some difficulty with this or that detail of life to their doctor, the doctor says, "Here's some pills, see if that helps," and then the doctor types in a code for anxiety or depression without ever stating clearly to the patient, "You have Depression." So you might not be intentionally lying if you don't say you've been diagnosed with depression.

Finding out exactly what is in your record is definitely the first thing to do. You (OP) say you have no official diagnosis of depression, but there is an official diagnosis of something, you can be sure of that. Best case will be your doctor coded situational depression. But explaining why you continued for 10 or 5 or whatever years is what's driving the demand for all the testing.
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I'm sure you're right. Not sure I had really ever considered that possibility and/or probability.
 
OK so I goofed on the 10 years, actually about 8 years. I went through the running start program so I entered a community college for my associates as a substitute for my last 2 years of high school.

2nd, I was going off what a pilot instructor told me at the airfield i was planning on going to for flightschool. He said that some airlines were running programs or offers where they will give you massively discounted flight hours or reimbursements on what you pay after you work for them for x long. Maybe I was stupid to believe it since his is technically selling for his flightschool.

I saw my primary care and she went through my med records and I have no official diagnosis of depression, and she game me a letter to send to the FAA stating that I have not been taking the medication for 6 months and was not being treated for depression. I do not however have any documentation explaining why i remained on it for so long, so you are right on that note.

My AME said basically nothing to me regarding anything. My appointment was me going in, getting sight and hearing checked by a nurse, giving a urine sample, and doing a physical for the doc. He asked me history questions, if I had any surgeries or problems, if I was taking any meds and what they were and if I had been prescribed any meds in the past, then said he would send the info to FAA and sent me on my way.

I googled bruce chein, his office is in illinois it seems. If I go see him, that would also add the price of a two way ticket and hotel stay there. Should I trust any local psych docs to be qualified to do it since its cheaper? I am starting to feel like its a "your not wealthy enough and you F234Ed up by not keeping your mouth shut" kinda barrier.

I suppose if the answer is yes, I suppose thats it then.
 
ty09 said:
I googled bruce chein, his office is in illinois it seems. If I go see him, that would also add the price of a two way ticket and hotel stay there.
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Dr. Chien is in Bolingbrook, IL, a small bit to the SW of Chicago.

So yeah, there will be some cost to hire him to manage your case, and some cost to go visit him when it is time.

But he will provide direction on what to do before you go visit him. So there are likely many steps before you must spend for the travel and hotel costs to see him.

One step at a time, mon ami. Don't get your knickers wadded up before there is a need to have them in that state. Make positive contact with him. Be respectful as I stated in my post with Fry waiving his butt. And get this done
 
Regarding paying for this journey.... here is a suggestion.

But you're not going to like it because it involves patience, frugality, learning to live on nothing, and hard work.​

Things that not many millennials seem to demonstrate.


Step one: Don't be in a big hurry since aviation will still be around for a few more years as will the need for airline pilots. So put off this grand plan of spending big money toward flight training for 18 to 24 months.

Step two: Cut your monthly budget down to the very bare minimum you need to exist. Pay for housing, food (beans/rice ramen in cup etc ... fast food not permitted), basic utilities, basic clothing, and basic transportation. But everything else gets cut out. This includes saying good bye to cable TV, your expensive cell phone, your internet entertainments (PS4, XBOX Live, etc), eating out (all eating out), all going out with friends.... anything and everything that isn't the basics and drains your ability to add money to your "long term goals fund".

Edit to add: And the credit cards get paid off 100%, cut up, and you're not allowed to play with them any more. For this to work for you, you need to go on an all cash, every dollar spoken for budget and regimen.​

Step three: Start earning extra money. Take on additional employment. Two or three part time jobs. Side hustles. Short term opportunities. ANYthing that accelerates your ability to add money to your long term goal fund.

If you can do 1 and 2, and figure out how to double or triple your income with 3, then after 18-24 months, it's quite possible for you to have 100% of the money you need not just to get the psychologist testing done, but have nearly 100% of the budget needed to qualify for the interview that gets you into the right seat of that Airbus.​


Whining to us that life isn't fair and the AME screwed you over, and your buddy lied to you about airlines paying for training is a big waste of electrons, isn't going to gain our respect, and for sure isn't going to solve the problem.

Getting out of your chair to earn the money, do what's needed to fix your current and long term issues, and earn your spot in that airbus.... That is what is going to get our respect and solve your problem.
 
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ty09 said:
OK so I goofed on the 10 years, actually about 8 years. I went through the running start program so I entered a community college for my associates as a substitute for my last 2 years of high school.

2nd, I was going off what a pilot instructor told me at the airfield i was planning on going to for flightschool. He said that some airlines were running programs or offers where they will give you massively discounted flight hours or reimbursements on what you pay after you work for them for x long. Maybe I was stupid to believe it since his is technically selling for his flightschool.

I saw my primary care and she went through my med records and I have no official diagnosis of depression, and she game me a letter to send to the FAA stating that I have not been taking the medication for 6 months and was not being treated for depression. I do not however have any documentation explaining why i remained on it for so long, so you are right on that note.

My AME said basically nothing to me regarding anything. My appointment was me going in, getting sight and hearing checked by a nurse, giving a urine sample, and doing a physical for the doc. He asked me history questions, if I had any surgeries or problems, if I was taking any meds and what they were and if I had been prescribed any meds in the past, then said he would send the info to FAA and sent me on my way.

I googled bruce chein, his office is in illinois it seems. If I go see him, that would also add the price of a two way ticket and hotel stay there. Should I trust any local psych docs to be qualified to do it since its cheaper? I am starting to feel like its a "your not wealthy enough and you F234Ed up by not keeping your mouth shut" kinda barrier.

I suppose if the answer is yes, I suppose thats it then.
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Keeping your mouth shut is worse. And what were you diagnosed with? In order to prescribe the medication, the doc diagnosed you with something. They can't tell you what that was?
 
Actually, it matters little if you were diagnosed or not. You were on SSRIs, the FAA is going to assume you had some condition (ALL DISQUALIFYING out of hand) that SSRIs are useful for.
Since you didn't have a serious diagnosis (GPs have no business writing scripts for psych drugs on the "try this and see if it helps" basis in my opinion).
You've got little to do now but ride out what the FAA wants or be turned down and not allowed to pursue any of the other options.
 
ty09 said:
OK so I goofed on the 10 years, actually about 8 years. I went through the running start program so I entered a community college for my associates as a substitute for my last 2 years of high school.

2nd, I was going off what a pilot instructor told me at the airfield i was planning on going to for flightschool. He said that some airlines were running programs or offers where they will give you massively discounted flight hours or reimbursements on what you pay after you work for them for x long. Maybe I was stupid to believe it since his is technically selling for his flightschool.

I saw my primary care and she went through my med records and I have no official diagnosis of depression, and she game me a letter to send to the FAA stating that I have not been taking the medication for 6 months and was not being treated for depression. I do not however have any documentation explaining why i remained on it for so long, so you are right on that note.

My AME said basically nothing to me regarding anything. My appointment was me going in, getting sight and hearing checked by a nurse, giving a urine sample, and doing a physical for the doc. He asked me history questions, if I had any surgeries or problems, if I was taking any meds and what they were and if I had been prescribed any meds in the past, then said he would send the info to FAA and sent me on my way.

I googled bruce chein, his office is in illinois it seems. If I go see him, that would also add the price of a two way ticket and hotel stay there. Should I trust any local psych docs to be qualified to do it since its cheaper? I am starting to feel like its a "your not wealthy enough and you F234Ed up by not keeping your mouth shut" kinda barrier.

I suppose if the answer is yes, I suppose thats it then.
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I live in Colorado. A number of my compatriot pilots (Class 1 & Class 3) have spent the time and money to visit Dr Bruce due to possible complications with the FAA that none of us wanted to trust to any AME around here. There are 2 AMEs in Colorado that we trust to handle complicated cases, and neither is taking new patients.

So, for a couple hundred for the airfare, and a night at the hotel (I took advantage of a mini-vacation), I left with my FAA medical paperwork in hand. Referring the AggieMike's cost estimate, the trip to Dr Bruce is petty cash compared to what you're going to spend overall to get to the Commercial and probably the ATP.

Step 1 - ignore all other expenses. Contact Dr Bruce Chien then after discussion, take his advice. His advice might be to schedule a visit to him or perhaps change your major to Art History.

There is no Step 2 at this point.
 
Just thinking...fortunately I'm on Basic Med these days but....did I lie by omission on my first Class 3 all those years ago when I forgot to mention I dated a psychologist? Does that count as a professional medical visit?
 
I am from Massachusetts. When I had to see Dr Chien, I took an early AM flight, rented a car; took the quick 30 min ride to his office; met with Dr Chien and then took an afternoon flight home. Long day but no hotel involved and when you you look at the cost of aviation and aviation training, $500 for the day was just another bill along the way. It sounds like you missed out on some helpful advice prior to picking an AME. I went trough the exact same thing; got denied because of an AME who failed to listen to me and did nothing to explain the process.

This will get resolved if you don't give up. Some great advice above about working on your budget and ways to pursue your goals. I, however, disagree with those that don't agree with financing. Many people borrow to pay for college (including me) and it's just an investment. Lots to consider going that route but at this early stage it's not necessary to make that decision. You need to get through the SSRI protocol first.


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Put me in the group that is opposite of @Tommar98 ... we are the one's holding the signs that say "don't use debt to finance future aviation careers"

There are so many barriers to overcome on the way to ATP and that right seat in the Boeing or Airbus. Anyone of them can topple your dreams like pulling the wrong jenga log. And if that occurs and your right seat dreams are effectively over, you still owe the debt but have no big time income to pay it off.

If you go with what I said by saving all the money up front (or saving a huge part (66%-75%) before starting and continue to earn the funds as you start training), and then the jenga tower comes crashing down killing the right seat dreams, you still have actual cash on hand to figure out what to do.

The former can be a spirit crusher when you're already down in dumps about loss of your dream. The latter can be a ray of silver lining sunshine that helps you get back up and running in a different groove.
 
AggieMike88: I agree that there may be obstacles to overcome and that you may not get the career you set out to finance. But that could be said of nearly ANY education you finance. I borrowed to pay for law school. If I didn't pass the bar exam then I'd have a nice diploma and no way to practice. I agree caution should be used and every effort made to come up with alternates to hefty loans, but I see too many people just give up dreams because borrowing is out of the question. I think it shouldn't be an out of hand dismissal because there is risk as to the outcome. It's not a black and white, one size fits all answer to a complex career decision.


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Tommar98 said:
AggieMike88: I agree that there may be obstacles to overcome and that you may not get the career you set out to finance. But that could be said of nearly ANY education you finance. I borrowed to pay for law school. If I didn't pass the bar exam then I'd have a nice diploma and no way to practice. I agree caution should be used and every effort made to come up with alternates to hefty loans, but I see too many people just give up dreams because borrowing is out of the question. I think it shouldn't be an out of hand dismissal because there is risk as to the outcome. It's not a black and white, one size fits all answer to a complex career decision.


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I was one of the Loan adverse students. I paid cash for my private. Borrowed for my instrument (uncle Sam paid 60%), paid off the loan, Borrowed for Commercial, Paid off the loan, Borrowed for my CFI, Paid off the loan with my proceeds from instruction. remaining ratings paid for by instructing.

If I could do it again I would have probably done the Commercial and CFI together (same loan) and started getting some flying income sooner. But then my timing was very good in that I was hired by the school training me as soon as I got my CFI. If I had got my CFI sooner I might not have had that opportunity.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
brcase said:
I was one of the Loan adverse students. I paid cash for my private. Borrowed for my instrument (uncle Sam paid 60%), paid off the loan, Borrowed for Commercial, Paid off the loan, Borrowed for my CFI, Paid off the loan with my proceeds from instruction. remaining ratings paid for by instructing.

If I could do it again I would have probably done the Commercial and CFI together (same loan) and started getting some flying income sooner. But then my timing was very good in that I was hired by the school training me as soon as I got my CFI. If I had got my CFI sooner I might not have had that opportunity.

Wasn't the fastest way to get ratings, but I was never more than few thousand dollars in debt.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
Click to expand...
 
ty09 said:
OK so I goofed on the 10 years, actually about 8 years. I went through the running start program so I entered a community college for my associates as a substitute for my last 2 years of high school.

2nd, I was going off what a pilot instructor told me at the airfield i was planning on going to for flightschool. He said that some airlines were running programs or offers where they will give you massively discounted flight hours or reimbursements on what you pay after you work for them for x long. Maybe I was stupid to believe it since his is technically selling for his flightschool.

I saw my primary care and she went through my med records and I have no official diagnosis of depression, and she game me a letter to send to the FAA stating that I have not been taking the medication for 6 months and was not being treated for depression. I do not however have any documentation explaining why i remained on it for so long, so you are right on that note.

My AME said basically nothing to me regarding anything. My appointment was me going in, getting sight and hearing checked by a nurse, giving a urine sample, and doing a physical for the doc. He asked me history questions, if I had any surgeries or problems, if I was taking any meds and what they were and if I had been prescribed any meds in the past, then said he would send the info to FAA and sent me on my way.

I googled bruce chein, his office is in illinois it seems. If I go see him, that would also add the price of a two way ticket and hotel stay there. Should I trust any local psych docs to be qualified to do it since its cheaper? I am starting to feel like its a "your not wealthy enough and you F234Ed up by not keeping your mouth shut" kinda barrier.

I suppose if the answer is yes, I suppose thats it then.
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8 years and an early start makes sense. My daughter started taking college courses early, it was pretty cool.
(Is it still cool to say "cool"?)

No, keeping your mouth shut might have got you certified for now but it's very, very risky. If you bend metal they will find out everything and even if you don't there really is no privacy anymore. The FAA is already fishing in VA and SS databases it's only a matter of time before they fish around in all the insurance and electronic health record databases. It's just too big a temptation- the info is right there in cyberspace! No more sending requests to individual doctors all over the country for pieces of paper that have to be copied and put into envelopes. So far better to confront the demon right now and get it out of the way, then you'll be all clean. You don't want it popping up 20 years from now when you're in the middle of a flying career with a mortgage and two point three kids to support.

There is a diagnosis, unless your doctor did not file insurance for you and even so she should have written something to justify the prescription. It's nice she gave you a letter saying you didn't have depression, but then what did you have? Or did your insurance not pay for the prescription? If you can't get it out of her get it from your insurance company. Unless you paid cash out of pocket for all this, there's a diagnosis code somewhere. Insurance won't pay otherwise.

Having said all that, flyingron is correct, it doesn't really matter at this point. The FAA has decided they want the tests and to my knowledge nothing else you send them at this point will change that, but I'm not Dr. Bruce. Dr. Bruce will know!
 
Did I miss what med the OP took? All I read was “antidepressant” but everyone keeps posting about SSRIs. Not all antidepressants are SSRIs, and even at that there are only four SSRIs on the protocol. There are several other SSRIs that aren’t.

OP, follow the Dr Bruce advice if you are serious about this. Contact him immediately. The clock is ticking and he has a heavy patient load already.
 
flyingron said:
Actually, it matters little if you were diagnosed or not. You were on SSRIs, the FAA is going to assume you had some condition (ALL DISQUALIFYING out of hand) that SSRIs are useful for.
Since you didn't have a serious diagnosis (GPs have no business writing scripts for psych drugs on the "try this and see if it helps" basis in my opinion).
You've got little to do now but ride out what the FAA wants or be turned down and not allowed to pursue any of the other options.
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It sure does matter, and he was diagnosed. There HAS to be a diagnosis. That's how it works. Docs don't say, "im not diagnosing you with anything, but here are some psych meds." He does have a diagnosis, and it is not minor.
 
Rushie said:
8 years and an early start makes sense. My daughter started taking college courses early, it was pretty cool.
(Is it still cool to say "cool"?)

No, keeping your mouth shut might have got you certified for now but it's very, very risky. If you bend metal they will find out everything and even if you don't there really is no privacy anymore. The FAA is already fishing in VA and SS databases it's only a matter of time before they fish around in all the insurance and electronic health record databases. It's just too big a temptation- the info is right there in cyberspace! No more sending requests to individual doctors all over the country for pieces of paper that have to be copied and put into envelopes. So far better to confront the demon right now and get it out of the way, then you'll be all clean. You don't want it popping up 20 years from now when you're in the middle of a flying career with a mortgage and two point three kids to support.

There is a diagnosis, unless your doctor did not file insurance for you and even so she should have written something to justify the prescription. It's nice she gave you a letter saying you didn't have depression, but then what did you have? Or did your insurance not pay for the prescription? If you can't get it out of her get it from your insurance company. Unless you paid cash out of pocket for all this, there's a diagnosis code somewhere. Insurance won't pay otherwise.

Having said all that, flyingron is correct, it doesn't really matter at this point. The FAA has decided they want the tests and to my knowledge nothing else you send them at this point will change that, but I'm not Dr. Bruce. Dr. Bruce will know!
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True, if there was no insurance involved, there might not be a diagnosis.

And I'm paying it one hour at a time. I'll be finished with my instrument in the next month, and then comes commercial. You can do it an hour at a time if you have an income to support that.
 
mryan75 said:
It sure does matter, and he was diagnosed. There HAS to be a diagnosis. That's how it works. Docs don't say, "im not diagnosing you with anything, but here are some psych meds." He does have a diagnosis, and it is not minor.
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Believe me, I've seen doctors do this. Patient complains he's out of sorts, here try some paxil to see if it helps. It's reprehensible.

We're giving him the benefit of the doubt as SSRIs can be approved with an SI. Others, like tricyclates,etc... are not.

Again, while the particulars will matter in the long term, the fact that he's been prescribed any psychoactive drug whether for mood disorders OR smoking cessation OR throat spasms or whatever is going to be a problem.
 
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