ADHD

Tyghe Nielsen's Blog for pilots with ADHD and ADD

A Blog by Tyghe Nielsen M.D.

Update on my Case

04/28/08 | by adhdpilo

| Categories: ADHD/ADD Pilots and medication

Hello again everyone and thanks for subscribing to the blog. I know many of you have been waiting patiently to know the outcome of the NTSB’s final ruling as it pertains to me obtaining my 3rd class medical certificate. As I suspected, the NTSB upheld the decision of the Administrative Law Judge to deny my medical certificate because of my diagnosis of ADD as well as taking medication for this. Obviously I find this extremely disappointing and will now have to take this project to the next level. Rather than summarize the entire document I’m going to post the NTSB Order number, which is EA-5381. It should be available to view on-line at the NTSB website at http://www.ntsb.gov/alj/o_alj.htm

In the meantime, for those of you who read this blog but have not been to my main webpage, the address is www.adhdpilots.org.It’s more up to date with what has been going on with ADD/ADHD recently I will be posting to the site with my proposed next step of action in this matter. In my opinion, we are at a critical point in this process simply because I sense that there is enough awareness out there now that many more future pilots with ADD/ADHD are essentially being “forced” to go the way of non-disclosure on their medical applications and a result of what has happened with my case. It is extremely frustrating to know I was honest throughout the whole process, only to be denied my medical based on taking a medication that has not been proven to have any causal link in adverse aviation outcomes. Furthermore, the FAA has admitted they do not have a system in place that can adequately check whether or not pilots are falsifying their medicals so that they may continue to fly. It appears to me that as it pertains to ADD/ADHD and the overwhelming evidence in support of stimulant therapy as well as nothing more than theoretical adverse events, the FAA has essentially taken what I like to call the “ostrich” approach. That is, they think if they simply put their head in the sand that the issue no longer exists and isn’t becoming worse. If my website is even a microcosom of what is taking place around the country, then I think it is obvious that the FAA is going to have a much larger issue to deal with here. My hope is that they will look at the data objectively and stop assuming that persons with ADD/ADHD in some way universally lack the skillset required to become or continue to be pilots.
Thanks again for subscribing. I’ll be in touch through here or the website.

Tyghe Nielsen, MD

Medications

11/25/07 | by adhdpilo

| Categories: ADHD/ADD Pilots and medication

Hello members and guests,

One of my first orders of business with this site is to determine if there is anyone out there who has either had experience or knows someone who has had direct experience with obtaining a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class medical certificate while being treated with medication for ADHD/ADD. If there are individual cases where exceptions have been made based on a case by case basis,I think this would definetely help the overall cause. If there are not existent cases, I hope to forge the way toward becoming the first.
It it my hope that not only will there be individual exceptions considered based on individual histories, it is belief that the FAA will eventually amend the current regulations in light of recent evidence. Recent evidence suggests that persons with ADHD/ADD who are adequately treated do not pose increased risk to themselves or others as it relates to driving accidents. These people are, in most instances, safer individuals when they take their prescribed medications. My vision, as it relates to aviation, stems from the concept that as a direct result of the current regulations there are licensed pilots out who either don’t seek appropriate treatment for fear of losing their medical certificate, or they simply do not disclose they are taking any medication. If this is true,as I suspect it is, I feel the current system encourages non-disclosure of information which by itself poses an increased risk to aviation safety. In a system where honesty and self-disclosure is paramount, the current system is heavily flawed. It would seem as though the current system of obtaining a pilot medical certificate actually creates more potential risk by promoting non-disclosure of medical information than it would if those treated with medications were encouraged to be honest. It is my stance that those who have benefitted from treatment, with the appropriate medical documentation and monitoring, should be able to seek appropriate treatment without fear of losing their medical certificate.
In a future blog I intend to outline additional reasons why I feel the current system is not only flawed, but to an certain extent is discriminatory against people who are able to prove that not only are they competent pilots but that they pose no more risk than the general population of pilots to the aviation community. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who posts here at this site!