After Air India crash, fear of flying soars—psychiatrists report spike in anxiety among seasoned travellers
Following the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, flight anxiety has surged, impacting even seasoned travelers. Mental health experts attribute this rise to social media exposure and subsequent incidents, with high-calibre professionals particularly affected. Coping mechanisms range from medication to alcohol, while specialized counselling centres offer flight simulators to help passengers regain confidence amidst their fears.
AP File photo of the ill-fated AI171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Mumbai: Last month's plane crash in Ahmedabad has made fliers nervous. "After a tragedy like this, fear of flying naturally spikes," said Shefali Batra, a leading Mumbai-based psychiatrist. While investigations continue into whether pilot error or a mechanical fault with the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane was to blame for the accident that killed 260 people, what's undeniable is the psychological fallout-a surge of flight anxiety, even among seasoned travellers.A series of flight incidents associated with Air India and other airlines since the June 12 crash has added to their woes.
Mental health professionals say the emotional aftershocks of the Air India crash are real and spreading, triggered by increased access to social media content. "Social media exposure to aviation disasters is amplifying anxiety," said Anjali Chhabria, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist. "Even if someone hasn't experienced trauma personally, the constant stream of bad news creates a sense of danger." K Dinesh, founder, Cockpit Vista, and a retired Indian Air Force wing commander, has seen it all-CEOs gripping books like life jackets, elderly couples haunted by decades-old trauma, and passengers frozen at boarding gates. Some drown the fear in music or medication, others, in alcohol. "Bars near boarding gates aren't just for leisure. Some passengers knock back four or five pegs just to get on board."
Psychologists say the fear is more pronounced among high-calibre travellers like engineers, entrepreneurs, and scientists, who are accustomed to always being in charge.
From CEOs gripping books like life jackets, elderly couples haunted by decades-old trauma, and flyers frozen at boarding gates: some drown the fear in music or medication, others, in booze. 'Bars near boarding gates aren't just for leisure. Some passengers knock back four or five pegs just to get on board.'Psychologists say the fear is heightened among high-calibre travellers who're used to being in charge, like engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. 'Flying forces them to surrender — to an unseen pilot in a sealed cockpit,' said K Dinesh of a Bengaluru-based counselling centre for fearful flyers which has seen a marked rise in inquiries after the Air India crash. Using flight simulators, it recreates take-offs, landings, turbulence, and cabin sounds in a controlled setting. He said, 'By the course's end, most begin to regain confidence.'In a typical 180-seater aircraft, nearly 30-40% of passengers are silently battling some form of anxiety or phobia of varying degrees — a figure that aligns with global aviation data.The fear often it permeates those with deep knowledge and analytical minds, said aviation experts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
6 minutes ago
- Economic Times
'Americans are poisoning themselves': CDC reveals how over 50% of daily calories come from ultra-processed junk
Synopsis A recent CDC report reveals that over half of Americans' daily calories come from ultra-processed foods, high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. While consumption has slightly decreased in the last decade, experts emphasize the link between these foods and health issues like obesity and diabetes. Efforts are underway to define ultra-processed foods more clearly and encourage healthier alternatives. AP Americans get more than half their calories from ultraprocessed foods, CDC report says Most Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, the kind that are very tasty but often full of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, according to a new federal is the first time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially confirmed how high these levels are, based on diet data collected from August 2021 to August foods include burgers, sweet baked goods, salty snacks, pizza, and sugary drinks, all of which are popular across the United to the CDC report, about 55% of calories eaten by Americans aged 1 and older came from ultra-processed foods. For adults, it was about 53%, while for children and teenagers, it reached almost 62%.Young children ate slightly fewer ultra-processed foods compared to teenagers. Among adults, those aged 60 and older consumed less than younger adults. Low-income adults were found to eat more of these foods than those with higher incomes. 'This isn't surprising,' said Anne Williams, a CDC nutrition expert and co-author of the she added that it was surprising to see a small drop in ultra-processed food consumption over the last decade. For example, adult intake fell from 56% in 2013–2014, and for children, it dropped from 66% in 2017– said she couldn't say for sure what caused the Andrea Deierlein, a nutrition expert at New York University who was quoted by AP, said, 'There may be more awareness of how harmful these foods can be. People are trying, at least in some populations, to eat less of them.'U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also raised alarms. 'We are poisoning ourselves, and it's coming principally from these ultra-processed foods,' he told Fox News, as reported by CDC used the Nova classification system, which is widely used around the world. This system groups foods into four levels based on how much they are foods usually: Contain little or no whole foods Are high in salt, sugar, and bad fats Are low in fibre Are 'hyper-palatable' (very tasty and easy to overeat) Officials in the U.S. have said there is still confusion about how to define these foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Agriculture Department have asked for public input to help create a clearer definition for the U.S. food foods have long been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, though many studies could not prove that these foods directly cause these conditions.A small but important study showed that even when people ate the same number of calories, they gained more weight when eating ultra-processed foods compared to less processed new study in the journal Nature found that people lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods like chicken, pasta, fruit, and vegetables, compared to eating processed ready meals or protein bars, even if the meals had similar said people should try to eat less ultra-processed food where example, instead of instant oatmeal that contains added sugar and preservatives, people could use plain oats and sweeten them with natural honey or maple syrup.'I do think that there are less-processed options available for many foods,' she said, as quoted by AP. Inputs from AP
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Americans are poisoning themselves': CDC reveals how over 50% of daily calories come from ultra-processed junk
Most Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods , the kind that are very tasty but often full of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, according to a new federal report. This is the first time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially confirmed how high these levels are, based on diet data collected from August 2021 to August 2023. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Ultra-processed foods include burgers, sweet baked goods, salty snacks, pizza, and sugary drinks, all of which are popular across the United States. According to the CDC report, about 55% of calories eaten by Americans aged 1 and older came from ultra-processed foods. For adults, it was about 53%, while for children and teenagers, it reached almost 62%. Young children ate slightly fewer ultra-processed foods compared to teenagers. Among adults, those aged 60 and older consumed less than younger adults. Low-income adults were found to eat more of these foods than those with higher incomes. Live Events 'This isn't surprising,' said Anne Williams, a CDC nutrition expert and co-author of the report. However, she added that it was surprising to see a small drop in ultra-processed food consumption over the last decade. For example, adult intake fell from 56% in 2013–2014, and for children, it dropped from 66% in 2017–2018. Williams said she couldn't say for sure what caused the drop. But Andrea Deierlein, a nutrition expert at New York University who was quoted by AP, said, 'There may be more awareness of how harmful these foods can be. People are trying, at least in some populations, to eat less of them.' U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also raised alarms. 'We are poisoning ourselves, and it's coming principally from these ultra-processed foods,' he told Fox News, as reported by AP. What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? The CDC used the Nova classification system, which is widely used around the world. This system groups foods into four levels based on how much they are processed. Ultra-processed foods usually: Contain little or no whole foods Are high in salt, sugar, and bad fats Are low in fibre Are 'hyper-palatable' (very tasty and easy to overeat) Officials in the U.S. have said there is still confusion about how to define these foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Agriculture Department have asked for public input to help create a clearer definition for the U.S. food supply. Why Is This Important? Ultra-processed foods have long been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, though many studies could not prove that these foods directly cause these conditions. A small but important study showed that even when people ate the same number of calories, they gained more weight when eating ultra-processed foods compared to less processed foods. Another new study in the journal Nature found that people lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods like chicken, pasta, fruit, and vegetables, compared to eating processed ready meals or protein bars, even if the meals had similar nutrients. What Can People Do? Deierlein said people should try to eat less ultra-processed food where possible. For example, instead of instant oatmeal that contains added sugar and preservatives, people could use plain oats and sweeten them with natural honey or maple syrup. 'I do think that there are less-processed options available for many foods,' she said, as quoted by AP. Inputs from AP
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India launches app for mental well-being of staff
Air India has introduced a new initiative to support the emotional and mental well-being of employees through the launch of a mobile app. The application, named Amaha, is part of the airline's efforts to provide a relaxed environment to its pilots and cabin crew, particularly after the Ahmedabad plane crash and is aimed at helping employees manage their mental health, they said on Wednesday. Following the Ahmedabad crash, as many as 112 pilots had reported sick in a single day on June 16.(Bloomberg/Representational Image) Offering over 600 expert-designed self-care techniques and one-to-one therapy and psychiatry sessions, this app will help in managing the mental health of Air India employees, PTI reported, citing sources. Besides, it also offers tools for journaling, tracking mood and goals and AI-powered chatbot support. Following the Ahmedabad crash, as many as 112 pilots had reported sick in a single day on June 16, which included 51 commanders (P1) and 61 First Officers (P2). Meanwhile, the government's response to a question in Parliament last month termed it as 'a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots'. Through the app, one-to-one sessions can be booked with the professional that best suits the user's comfort, ensuring a personalised experience, sources told PTI. A DGCA circular issued in 2023 directs the airlines to offer specialised training to help flight crews and air traffic controllers in identifying and addressing mental health issues. After the Ahmedabad tragedy, DGCA has reiterated the earlier circular advising airlines to implement customised mental health training for crew. It also asked the airlines to ensure access to Peer Support Programmes (PSP), designed to be confidential and non-punitive, helping them in coping with stress, anxiety, and trauma, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol had informed Parliament. On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787 aircraft en route to London Gatwick from Ahmedabad crashed into a building soon after takeoff, killing 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. Out of the 242 people on board, one passenger survived.
