Major Depressive Disorder in Military Aviators: A Retrospective Study of Prevalence

Abstract

The occurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) among military pilots and navigators poses questions with respect to medical care and waiver policy, but the prevalence of such disorders is unclear. We studied the epidemiology of MDD in a USAF aircrew population. The occurrence of MDD was determined for the period 2001-2006 using the USAF Aeromedical Information Management Waiver Tracking System, which records medical disqualifications and waivers for the entire population of both qualified and disqualified (grounded) USAF aviators. The mean annual population of USAF pilots and navigators averaged 17,781 during the study period. The database yielded 51 cases of MDD, of which 8 were recurrent and 43 were single episodes. All of the recurrent cases were disqualified, while 18 of the single-episode cases (42%) received a flying waiver after being asymptomatic without medications for at least 6 mo. Estimated annual MDD prevalence was 0.06% for the study population. In comparison, the annual prevalence of MDD is 6.7% in the general U.S. population, 2.8% among groups of executives and 4.1% among professionals. Odds ratios were 128 (68,238), 51 (27,96), and 76 (41,142) for the general population, executives, and professionals, respectively. Annual MDD prevalence among USAF pilots and navigators was significantly lower than that of the general U.S. population. The difference may reflect lower aircrew vulnerability to depression because of selection and training processes or lower rates of self-report and treatment due to feared aeromedical and/or career consequences.