The FAA medical
Depression, Anxiety and ADHD: What the FAA Medical Standards Actually Say
✓ Reviewed against current FAA sources on October 28, 2026
In this guide
In short
No. Section 67.107 (opens in a new tab) names four mental conditions: a personality disorder severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts, psychosis, bipolar disorder and substance dependence, plus substance abuse within the preceding two years. Depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder are not named. What does exist is 67.107(c), a judgment clause covering any other mental condition the Federal Air Surgeon finds would make a person unable to perform airman duties safely. That is a standard applied to your circumstances, not an automatic bar on a diagnosis. Item 18.m still asks about mental disorders of any sort with no lookback, and stopping prescribed treatment to avoid disclosing it does not work, because the question asks whether you have ever been diagnosed.
This is the fear that keeps people out of aviation more than any other, and it is worth separating what the regulation says from what the internet says about it.
Are depression, anxiety and ADHD disqualifying?
Not by name. Section 67.107 (opens in a new tab) is the mental section of the FAA medical standards, and it names four conditions:
- A personality disorder severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts
- A psychosis, which the section defines by manifested symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior
- Bipolar disorder
- Substance dependence
It separately disqualifies substance abuse within the preceding two years. Depression is not on that list. Neither is anxiety, and neither is attention deficit disorder.
So why does everyone think they are?
Because of 67.107(c), which is the part most pages either skip or misread. After the four named conditions, the section adds a judgment clause: no other personality disorder, neurosis, or other mental condition that the Federal Air Surgeon finds makes the person unable to safely perform airman duties or exercise the privileges of the certificate.
That is a standard, not a list. It does not say depression disqualifies you. It says a mental condition disqualifies you if it would make you unable to fly safely, and that determination is made on your circumstances rather than on your diagnosis label. The practical consequence is that a history of depression is a thing to be assessed and documented, not a thing that ends the conversation.
What the application asks
Item 18.m asks about mental disorders of any sort, giving depression and anxiety as its own examples. Item 19 separately asks about visits within the last three years to a health professional, and the list of professionals it names includes a psychologist, a clinical social worker and a substance abuse specialist.
Those are two different questions with two different scopes. Item 18 is framed as whether you have ever in your life been diagnosed with, had, or presently have any of the following. Item 19 carries the three year window.
The thing not to do
There is one response to this that is worse than any diagnosis, and it needs saying plainly: do not stop a prescribed treatment so there is nothing to disclose.
It fails on both sides. It does not remove the history, because Item 18 asks whether you have ever been diagnosed with or had the condition, not whether you currently have it. And it trades a documented, treated condition for an untreated one, which is worse for you and worse for flight safety. Treatment decisions belong with the clinician treating you, and the FAA's own framework is built around conditions that are managed rather than hidden.
What a deferral actually means here
If your examiner cannot issue at the appointment, the ordinary outcome is a deferral rather than a denial. In the FAA's own words, for some conditions, or if missing required documentation, the AME must defer the examination to the FAA, while denial at the appointment is described as happening in very rare cases.
From there, 14 CFR 67.401 (opens in a new tab) provides two routes for someone who does not meet a standard. An Authorization for Special Issuance may be granted where the applicant shows the duties of the certificate can be performed without endangering public safety. A Statement of Demonstrated Ability covers a static or nonprogressive condition and does not expire.
What actually helps
Documentation, and getting your questions answered before the application is imported rather than after. The FAA's Medical Examination Bill of Rights lets you terminate an examination, with the understanding that if the application has been imported by the Aviation Medical Examiner or the exam has begun, the AME must submit the incomplete application. Once it is in, it is in.
A current, specific account from the clinician who treated you, addressing what was diagnosed, what was done and where things stand, is worth more than any amount of worrying about the label. The standard the FAA is applying is about safe performance, so the evidence that matters is evidence about function.