This is an article written by Nationalist MP, who in the past suffered from mental illness, in the wake of the Germanwings tragedy.

 

The deliberate crash by the Germanwing co pilot Andreas Lubitz which took the lives of 149 innocent lives leave us struggling with emotions of anger, disbelief and sadness. It is a tragedy difficult to comprehend.  For the families involved their life will never be the same. This was not an accidental crash. This was a deliberate action from a trained professional pilot who was battling with depression.

Yet demonising mental illness will not help. Every forty seconds someone commits suicide worldwide. Global suicide rates have increased 60% in the last 40 years amounting to over one million suicides each year. The vast majority of these suicides will go unnoticed and do not make the news.  In the case of the co pilot it made the news specifically because it was unique and unprecedented. The fact is that the absolute majority of those who commit suicide are only interested to take their own life not the life of others.

The action of co pilot Andreas Lubitz is more befitting of a psychopath rather than a suicide. A psychopath who meticulously planned and calmly executed in detail this cold blooded mass murder with no feelings whatsoever to the untold pain and misery he inflicted on hundreds of other people.  BBC are reporting that Andreas’s ex girlfriend in an interview with Germany’s Bild Newspaper recalled that Andreas had told her "One day I'm going to do something that will change the whole system, and everyone will know my name and remember me forever”. If this is so this was a case of a premeditated criminal act. Globally about 350 million people suffer from depression but they do not go around killing other people. It takes more than depression to commit such a massacre.

In order to conclude that this was a suicide a Psychological Autopsy needs to be carried out. It involves a collaborative procedure involving law enforcement officers and mental health experts. This will determine the state of mind of Andreas Lubitz prior to the fatal act. It also includes the victim’s lifestyle and interviews with his doctors, relatives, work colleagues and friends. And this is probably why the competent authorities refused to be drawn into a premature conclusion that this was a suicide.

Regretfully this incident will further fuel the stigma which is still predominant when it comes to mental illness. Untreated depression continues to be the main cause of suicide. Depression is a terrible mood disturbance and a very painful experience. It is also very common. It can affect anyone anytime irrespective of age, sex, race and social status.  Most cases of depression are treatable.  In most instances the real problem is not the depression itself but the fact that less than 30% of those who suffer from mental illness particularly depression do not get the right treatment from mental health professionals. Many still choose to continue to suffer in silence because they are more terrified of the stigma then the devastating feelings of depression itself.

This is precisely why we should put this dreadful horrifying incident in its perspective. The vast majority of people suffering from mental illness do not harm others.  In fact research shows that many of those who commit murders, including mass murders and other criminal acts have no history of mental illness.

Rather than taking this horrendous incident as an opportunity to demonise mental illness this should serve as a wakeup call for us all. The World Health Organisation is forecasting that by the year 2025 mental illness in particular depression will be more common than chronic illness like diabetes and cardio vascular diseases.  In fact it might well be that a mental health pandemic is looming in the horizon. There is an urgent need for us all to be more aware about the early warning signs of depression. Strangely enough many might be suffering from depression without even knowing.  Increasing awareness will give us an opportunity to help ourselves and others whether relatives, friends or working colleagues. Those suffering from depression should be supported and encouraged to seek professional help rather than judged, mocked or emarginated.  Likewise employers should strive to have a mental health policy in place which enables them to offer early professional help and support to their workers with signs of stress, burnout or other mental problems. The need for employers to work closely with mental health professionals is now an urgent necessity.

By time I hope that we will get to know more about Andreas Lubitz and what made him commit such a barbaric act.  It the meantime I feel it is still premature to blame depression for his actions or simply dismiss it as suicide. As I have said it takes much more than depression to kill 149 innocent people. 

 

One final departing note – during the last  five  minutes you spend  reading this article about eight people have just committed suicide and while doing so none of these victims have inflicted any physical harm to other people.  As regards to this tragic flight, perseverance and patience to wait for the whole truth to emerge is a virtue which unfortunately seems to be out of stock.