Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are very common in the UK. When considering fitness to dive there are two areas of concern – the illness itself and any medications that you might be taking.
If you suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks then you cannot dive, as loss of control underwater can cause severe injury or even death.
For those with mild anxiety and/ or depression you must be confident that you will be able to function in the water effectively as your concentration, reaction times and decision making may be inhibited. If you feel that your symptoms are well controlled (for example with counselling and/ or medication) then it is likely that you are safe to dive.
Regarding antidepressant medication and diving: there are several side effects associated with antidepressants which are concerning in diving. For example, antidepressants can cause drowsiness; they can also lower the seizure threshold, making having a fit more likely. Antidepressants also make bleeding more likely which could significantly exacerbate an episode of decompression sickness therefore we will advise you to limit your diving to a certain depth to reduce the risk of this.
Each case should be assessed individually and it is still possible to dive whilst taking antidepressant medication. Ideally, a diver suffering from depression should be taking no more than one antidepressant and should be on a stable dose for at least 3 months before considering diving.
You will need to discuss your symptoms and treatment with a dive doctor via a telephone consultation and we will ask you to get a questionnaire completed by your GP/psychologist.