Over, but not out-recognition and preventing aircraft-assisted murder-suicide by Aircrew

Abstract

Context and introduction

The recent crash of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 appears to be the latest act of aircraft-assisted murder-suicide. The psychiatric preventive aspects of the murder-suicide need to be discussed, and effective measures for recognition and prevention of this murder-suicide are needed. Aircrew health is biased towards the physical ailments, and evaluation manuals have not discussed the mental health aspects, especially preventive strategies. These strategies involve multifactorial interventions, their applicability and usefulness are not globally validated.

Objectives and methods

Thanatology has since long, focused on early detection of mental distress and elucidating behavioural and psychological factors that predispose towards attempts at self-harm. Aircrew forms a different group from the general population. The recognition and preventive strategies in this special group, must, therefore, be tailored to this group with its special characteristics.

Data sources, study selection and data synthesis publications were identified via electronic searches using multiple search terms related to suicide prevention. The available effective preventive measures were juxtaposed on the current concepts in aerospace psychiatry.

Conclusions

Murder-suicide by aircrew is an event that is the culmination of undetected, ignored or even condoned discrete events that gradually progress and insidiously escalate. The importance of psychological factors in this catastrophic event needs to be disseminated amongst psychiatrists, and aircrew medical examiners. Ascertaining which components of suicide prevention programmes are effective in early recognition of aircrew who may attempt or complete the murder-suicide and putting into practice these to optimize the use of limited resources, is therefore essential and necessary.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.