Procedure for risk management in persons with mental disorders in safety-relevant workplaces
Concerning safety-relevant workplaces, (e.g. in power plants, in the German Federal Armed Froces, or as professional commercial drivers) the interests of employees with a mental disorder and the interest of the public are often very different. This applies in particular to commercial pilots with mental disorders, who are financially and emotionally burdened by a lack of fitness to fly for several years or for life. On the other hand, public security in this area is a sensitive good and associated with high anxieties.
From 1990 onwards, professional therapy and control programmes were developed, tested, evaluated and continuously further developed in cooperation with a group of committed and trained pilots (AntiSkid), airlines and German supervisory authorities. Initially, only substance use disorders were included, and since 2016 other mental disorders have also been included.
The programmes include comprehensive diagnostics, usually initial in-patient treatment, followed by long-term psychotherapy and ongoing laboratory checks, where relevant, in parallel with resumption of flight activity. The current evaluation shows a very high success rate of more than 85%.
Publications
Bühringer, G. (2018). Editorial: Airline pilots with substance use disorders: To care for or to control? Addiction, 114(2), 203-205. doi:10.1111/add.14441
Bühringer, G., & Czernecka, R. (2018). The assessment of driving aptitude for alcohol consumption disorders: Time for a paradigm shift [Assessment of fitness to drive in cases of alcohol use disorders: Time for a change]. ZVS - Zeitschrift für Verkehrssicherheit, 64(2), 116-120.
Lectures
Bühringer, G., & Czernecka, R. (2017, 07.10.). Driving aptitude for alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse - time for a paradigm shift? Paper presented at the 13th joint symposium DGVP/DGVM, Leipzig.
Bühringer, G., Hantelmann, H., & Czernecka, R. (2018, 25.09.). Peer Support -The German Airlines „AntiSkid“ Programme. Paper presented at the Aviation Health Conference 2018, London.
Bühringer, G., Hantelmann, H., Czernecka, R., & Mußhoff, F. (2018, 28.09.). Psychotherapy and control program for pilots with substance and other mental disorders. Paper presented at the 14th joint symposium of DGVM and DGVT 2018, Saarbrücken, Germany.