The Atlantic: Depressed Doesn't Mean Dangerous
Mar 27 2015, 3:36 PM ET
News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.
The story of Tuesday’s Germanwings plane crash, which killed all 150 people onboard, has only gotten more tragic as more details emerge. On Thursday, audio from the plane’s black box showed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz apparently locked the commanding pilot out of the cockpit, and seems to have intentionally crashed the plane. On Friday, news coverage turned to speculating about Lubitz’s mental state, in an attempt to answer the haunting question that floats above the wreckage of every man-made tragedy: “How could someone have done this?”
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What evidence we have of Lubitz’s mental health or lack thereof is still scant. The New York Times reports that he “had a medical condition that he hid from his employer.” Investigators found a doctor’s note at his home that would have excused him from work on the day of the crash, as well as another, ripped-up, note. The BBC says German media are reporting that Lubitz’s training was interrupted in 2009 so he could receive treatment for depression. While his employers at Lufthansa airlines have confirmed he took time off, they have not said why.
Yet Friday morning’s headlines were frantic about the possibility that Lubitz could have been depressed. The Daily Mail, ever over-the-top, went with: “Mass-killer co-pilot who deliberately crashed Germanwings plane had to STOP training because he was suffering depression and 'burn-out.'” CNN’s homepage blared “Unfit to Work” in all-caps.
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“If we were to take schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression…if I could wave a wand and magically cure those three illnesses, the overall amount of violence in society—any minor or serious violent act, pushing and shoving or using a weapon—would go down by about 4 percent,” Swanson says. “Ninety-six percent of it would still be there.”
Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/depressed-doesnt-mean-dangerous/388922/
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