Counsellors allay concerns as crash reignites fear of flying
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Kolkata: The horrific images of the Ahmedabad crash have left a section of city flyers shaky and unsure about taking a flight. Many scheduled to fly over the next month sought help from psychiatrists and psychologists to overcome their fear of flying.
They include those who were always scared to fly, and the Air India crash revived their flying fear.
Individuals with a pre-existing fear of flying, technically known as aviophobia, are especially vulnerable to psychological distress after incidents like the Ahmedabad plane crash, said psychologist Soumya Mukherjee. "Such traumatic events can act as powerful triggers, reinforcing their anxiety and intensifying the phobia.
I already received frantic calls from a couple who must fly within a week but are mortally scared to do so now.
They sought counselling," said Mukherjee.
Psychiatrist Jairanjan Ram said since fear of flying is one of the commonest phobias, there would be many now who would try to avoid flying. "I receive two to three such patients every month who were not able to get rid of it despite being frequent flyers. They would be extremely jittery now and anxious to defer their travel," said Ram.
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He added that one of his patients, a lady from Kolkata, recently suffered a panic attack aboard a private jet while flying to Australia. "It forced the pilot to make an emergency landing," said Ram.
Common psychological responses to this crash would be heightened anticipatory fear, avoidance behaviour like refusing to board flights, acute stress symptoms, or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), said Mukherjee.
"The sense of lost control and the perception of danger may become deeply embedded in their psyche. As a result, future air travel may feel overwhelmingly threatening or impossible. Therapeutic interventions can be effective in helping individuals rebuild trust and a sense of safety in flying," she said.
It is the fear of being stuck in an enclosed space like an aircraft that triggers panic and heightened fear, felt Ram. Those who need to fly within the next few days but developed a phobia may take light sedatives after boarding, said a psychologist. "The other option is to avoid a long flight now and take shorter flights to overcome the fear," he said.
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