![]() ![]() ![]() In fact, mental health patients were shown to have double the risk of being a victim of homicide than people in the general public. ![]() I puzzle because there really has not been any research evidence whatsoever to suggest such a link. So, all we know really is that: 1) he might have a history of depression, 2) he might have been treated for mental health difficulties, and 3) his ex-girlfriend confirmed that they have recently broken up.Īs a clinical psychologist, I often struggle to understand why people seem to think that individuals with depression would be prone to violence. Similarly, the police have reportedly found some ‘sick notes’ in his residence, but again the contents of these notes are unknown to us. ‘Lufthansa knew about killer pilot’s depression’ claimed The Times.īefore we jump to conclusions, what do we really know about this co-pilot? Almost nothing! A statement issued by Dusseldorf University Hospital only confirmed that the co-pilot had attended the hospital but no further information regarding his medical or psychiatric condition was disclosed. Blame was further indicated against the airline for failing to prevent depressed individuals from becoming pilots or at least not having done enough to assess mental health problems of their staff. ‘Madman in Cockpit’ said the Sun ‘Killer Pilot Suffered From Depression’ wrote the Daily Mirror. Reviewing the full (translated) transcript of the Lufthansa press conference published by The Independent, the only information disclosed was that the co-pilot ‘interrupted his training’, and that ‘I cannot tell you anything about the reasons of this interruption, but I told you before that anyone interrupts the training has to do a lot of tests so the competence and fitness would be checked again.’ So, what was claimed by the Daily Mail could not be further from what was actually said.ĭisappointingly, the Daily Mail was not alone in speculating on the co-pilot’s motive solely based on his presumed history of depression and current mental state. WHY ON EARTH WAS HE ALLOWED TO FLY?’ the Daily Mail went on to claim that ‘The killer Alps pilot’s boss last night admitted he had slipped through “the safety net” and should never have been flying.’ It is a mystery where this “admission” came from. Opening with a bold headline ‘Suicide pilot had a long history of depression. Unfortunately, many journalists seem to believe that they know the answer already. ![]() His motives, however, remain very much unknown at this stage of investigation. Unfortunately, the more anxious we are to find out the truth, the more likely we are to become the victims of irresponsibly written newspaper headlines, the sole aim of which is to spark sensation rather than to provide the much needed accurate information.Īs far as we know, there seems to be enough evidence to suggest that the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane into the mountains. In a disaster like this, we are all desperate to know ‘Why?’. Before I start this post, on behalf of Research The Headlines, I would like to convey our sympathy and condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones in the recent Germanwings plane crash. Any loss of life is tragic. ![]()
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