Wordless Wednesday

4U9525

A little more than a week ago grief came to this country. A German airline lost an aircraft, part of its crew and 144 of its passengers. I can’t remember any severe accident that involved a German airline. All tragic air traffic accidents in the past seemed far away. This one feels close. An airplane coming from Spain, where so many Germans spend their holidays year by year. Sixteen families lost their teenage kids, high school students coming back from a student exchange. Many more lost parents, sisters, brothers, relatives and friends.

Two days later this tragedy reached yet another level. The French police announced that it was caused by the co-pilot, who deliberately crashed the airplane into the French Alps. All media attention then turned to the co-pilot. His appartment building and his parent’s home were shown in the news. Everyone discussed about how much his employer knew and should have known about his depression.

And my thoughts turned to the family of this very desperate co-pilot. I can only imagine how it must feel to loose someone you love through suicide. I cannot imagine how it must feel if the suicide took so many more people with him. And how terrible must it be to be confronted with all the media attention, including pictures, private details as well as false information and speculations about his health status and previous treatments.

And it seems that all the effort being done to promote an understanding of depression needs to start over again. Now, patients suffering from depression are considered potential mass murderers. Despite all knowledgable experts arguing against it. And despite not knowing (yet) what condition the co-pilot was in. It’s only the lurid headlines that count.