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Diving Doctor: Can People with Depression Dive Safely?

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Feeling Blue

Can a person being treated for depression dive safely?

Q: I TAKE AN ANTIDEPRESSANT. WHAT’S THE LATEST THINKING ON THESE MEDS AND DIVING?

A: Depression can have a profound effect on a person. Today, medications to treat depression are frequently prescribed.

Many years ago, a diagnosis of depression that was severe enough to warrant treatment with prescription medication would be grounds for a from recommendation of no diving until complete recovery is maintained of medication. The antidepressant medications at the time had significant side effects, particularly drowsiness.

Fast forward to the 21st century: Today, newer prescription medications are available to treat depression, and there is a much lower threshold for physicians to prescribe them. The side effects are less severe than with previous medications, and treatment of routine mental health illnesses is not solely the scope of psychiatrists. Physicians who have divers as patients — including yours truly — have somewhat softened our stance on the issue.

Not every diver who is taking an antidepressant medication should be cleared for diving, however. Some patients with depression have cognitive impairments — such as difficulty focusing on details and keeping a clear mind — and making important, quick decisions is difficult or impossible for them.

Others who do not have these deficits are able to handle even the toughest of situations during a dive. There are also individuals who are being treated with antidepressant medication who do not have the typical symptoms that characterize depression.

Any diver who is being treated with antidepressant medication should have a frank discussion with his or her physician to discuss the potential risks involved. If there is any doubt about the diver’s ability to make quick decisions and appropriately handle emergency situations, any diving activity should be delayed until complete recovery of medication is maintained.

James L. Caruso is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving as ship’s doctor, undersea medical officer and flight surgeon. His experience includes a fellowship in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center; today he is Denver’s chief medical examiner.

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Indonesian Manta ID Database Is Online Now

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Teaming up with the Bird’s Head Seascape website and Conservation International, we are excited to announce the launch of our online Bird’s Head Seascape Manta ID database: a visual and interactive platform that invites you to meet the manta rays, follow our work, and contribute toward manta research.

For the past six years, Manta Trust’s Indonesian Manta Project has been working to better understand and protect manta rays across this vast archipelago, and one of the most important ways we do this is through the use of photo identification. Our photo ID work in the Bird’s Head Seascape (BHS) began in 2011 when we teamed up with Misool Eco Resort and Papua Diving to start learning about the manta rays of Raja Ampat. Five years later it has expanded into a comprehensive research and conservation program that encompasses much of the Bird’s Head Seascape, and includes a passionate team of local, national and international partners.

Our vision for the BHS Manta ID site was to give everybody the opportunity to get to know and love the BHS manta rays through an easy to use and highly visual online platform. In addition, BHS visitors can use this site to submit (and even ID) their own manta ray photos, contributing directly to our research while learning about “their” manta rays in the process. As our manta library grows so does our understanding of the manta population, each photo acting like a piece of the puzzle. Increased understanding is critical for the development of successful species conservation and we encourage BHS visitors to get involved and help us with this exciting and important research…every photo counts!

By sharing our science through this site, our hope is to inspire empathy toward these vulnerable rays and connect those people who might not otherwise be able to visit the BHS manta rays.

So please visit www.birdsheadseascape.com, scroll down to the Manta ID logo, click “Learn More” and contribute your photographs! Each of you then becomes a member of the conservation team. We need and count on your support. If you love manta rays and are concerned about their and the ocean’s welfare … GET INVOLVED!

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