I don't know for sure, but just speculating; the FAA tends to be pretty conservative as far as what it will and will not allow. There's a bit of folk wisdom floating around aviation circles that the medical examiner's job is to try to keep you out of the sky rather than let you in, and to treat them accordingly. For example, they have a list of approved drugs (for all conditions), rather than a list of disqualifying drugs since the approved list ends up being much shorter.
In this particular case, it's most likely an "all mental health conditions are bad, mmmkay?" attitude. For example, just seeing a psychologist is enough to cause a major headache (you can still be certified, but it involves a letter from the psychologist stating that you are fit, and your case has to be reviewed by the FAA chief medical examiner's office).
This has become a fairly major issue in the past couple of years, and there's been quite a bit of lobbying for the FAA to change the rules with regards to conditions like depression.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 03:43 pm (UTC)In this particular case, it's most likely an "all mental health conditions are bad, mmmkay?" attitude. For example, just seeing a psychologist is enough to cause a major headache (you can still be certified, but it involves a letter from the psychologist stating that you are fit, and your case has to be reviewed by the FAA chief medical examiner's office).
This has become a fairly major issue in the past couple of years, and there's been quite a bit of lobbying for the FAA to change the rules with regards to conditions like depression.