Plane crazy: a case series of psychiatric presentations at the airport

Abstract

Background and aims:

The air transport industry has seen a rapid growth since the early 1900s. Serving more than 180 cities in over 50 countries, Changi International Airport in Singapore has established itself as a major aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region, with an annual handling capacity of more than 44 million passengers. In recent years, it has been observed that a number of passengers are found to be in a mentally disturbed state at the Changi International Airport. Some of whom are unable to continue in their journey and have to be admitted for further evaluation. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the occurrence and the presentation of mental disorders requiring admission at an international airport.

Methods:

A retrospective study was performed including patients who had been referred for psychiatric observation by the Changi International Airport to a tertiary hospital nearest the airport. The patients were studied in respect to the circumstance of admission, clinical presentation, management and how they continued on their journey.

Results:

Most of the patients admitted had a history of a major mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In-flight emergencies and serious incidents caused by psychiatric patients were fortunately uncommon.

Conclusions:

As air travel becomes more prevalent, it is conceivable that there will be an increasing number of psychiatric patients taking a flight. Although most patients are able to travel uneventfully, there are still a small number of patients who have to be detained and stabilised at a hospital.