Here’s a weird one: The co-pilot of an Air Canada flight had a crying, screaming emotional breakdown over the Atlantic.
Yelling, crying and invoking God, the co-pilot of an Air Canada flight from Toronto to London had to be forcibly removed from the cockpit of his jetliner after suffering an emotional collapse as the plane flew over the Atlantic.
Shackled by the wrists and ankles, the shoeless first officer had to be restrained by crew members with the help of a traveller who was a member of the Canadian Forces.
Apparently, he kept yelling, “Leave Britney alone!” (And did he take off his own shoes or did they do it for him?)
“When they tried to put his shoes on later, for example, he swore and threatened people. ... He was ... very, very distressed.”
Looks like he took his own shoes off. Sounds like Isabella sometimes.
“At no time was safety compromised,” Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said.
Well, except for that brief time when he was still at the controls and started his freakout. But after that everything was peachy.
I am absolutely convinced that most mental health problems, especially these kinds of emotional breakdowns, are caused primarily by lack of sleep and improper nutrition, both endemic to our culture. All the psychological literature says it, but no one gets it.
I found out this past fall that, like my 3 year old daughter, I have celiac disease. Celiac disease is very frequently associated with mental health issues. Many parents talk about the behavioral improvements when they take their kids off various dyes, dairy, wheat, or whatever food product.
One of the theories is that, when you have a food allergy, the particular amino acid you are allergic to gets into your bloodstream and has an opiate effect on the brain.
Another theory is that, since celiac disease is also associated with sleep disorders, that people with celiac (1 in 100 people have it, according to several European studies) don’t get enough sleep, because they suffer from indigestion and malnourishment, which causes them to have mental health problems.
In my case, I’ve always had problems with mood swings and bipolar episodes—completely gone now that I’m off wheat. My aforementioned daughter had horrible hallucinatiosn and nightmares, and was constantly screaming, until we got her off both wheat and dairy, and she’ll have episodes today if she has the smallest amount.
But society will probably lock this poor guy up and throw away the key instead of just putting him on a gluten-free diet.