This is so terribly sad.

Depends what is meant by responsible for his actions , did he crash the plane , yes, was he responsible for the deaths of those people, yes

If he had a mental illness was he responsible for not thinking in a logical way' no

It can be assumed those who think everyone with any form of mental illness is capable of logical thinking has never suffer from any mental illness and has no family member with or suffered from any mental illness

"German prosecutors said Friday morning that Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz “hid” an existing illness from his employer. Prosecutors did not specify what the illness was, but Bild newspaper reported he had a “serious depressive episode” six years ago, citing internal Lufthansa documents. Prosecutors said they found a “*torn-up sick note* that signed Andreas Lubitz off work on the day of Alps crash,” according to the BBC. No suicide note or claim of responsibility was found."

If someone who drove a truck for a living tore up a sicknote and then went on to have/cause a serious crash, would he or she not be guilty of murder? Manslaughter at the very least?

If what we are hearing is true and this pilot tore up a sicknote (essentially meaning he was not fit to fly or capable of flying) he is surely guilty of murder.

I agree with Mishap 11.38am and Anniebach 12.02pm.

But in my opinion only, if you go about tearing up a sick note, and then go flying, then you do have at least a certain level of responsibility, if not total responsibility.

I am wondering what his parents knew about all of this.
But it is possible that he hid it from them, or they may have thought that the airline had things under control in that regard.

Given the prevalence of depression/mental illness in all societies, particularly in young men, no doubt some of the 911 terrorists, suicide bombers, UK Jihadis, etc must have had psychiatric problems.

It's a good job that the young pilot didn't have an Islamic name. I suspect that fact would have overridden any other aspect of his life, and this tragedy would have been labelled an act of terror, then we would never get to the bottom of how he was allowed to pilot a plane given his mental state.

Having worked in mental health during a long nursing career I have found that those who are severely depressed, cannot function, or make decisions regarding their daily lives. It is when the depression is lifting, and they begin to think for themselves again, that they commit suicide. They rarely leave notes, and can hide how they are feeling from everyone, including those closest to them. I have had experience of one such suicide. The gentleman in question was a patient in the hospital where I was working. He hid his true feelings from his doctor and psychiatrist. He suffocated himself three days before he was due to be discharged.
It is very sad for all those concerned in this terrible incident but depressives can be very devious and manipulative. I feel very sorry for them all. How will his poor parents cope?

Isn't it true to say that someone indicted for murder cannot be deemed to be guilty if it can be proved that the balance of his mind was disturbed - which it evidently must have been? Not that it's relevant now. It happened and all those people have died unnecessarily if today's reports are accurate. Lufthansa have questions to answer.

I am not sure that "devious" is the right word. People who are very depressed are just quietly desperate to stop their suffering and will do anything to that end.

being mentally ill is not evil , no one can say it was planned because no one can read minds . How do you know the msn did this with no thoight of others, people have killed their families because they fear they are in danger living in this world which they see as evil . I accept it is much easier just to dismiss that tragedy as an evil act, saves bothering to try to understand the horrors a mentally ill person often endures

Anniebach I didn't say being mentally ill was evil, I've had severe depression myself. I'm certainly not ^ accepting it's easier dismissing that tragedy as an evil act, saving bothering to try and understand the horrors a mentally ill person endures^ either, I've had a close relative commit suicide so I can speak with some experience, having tried everything I could t help and support him and his distraught family.

The clock cannot be turned back - the important thing is that lessons are learned and suitable actions are taken.

I read that the relatives of the pilot are being kept away from other grieving relatives, that is really disgusting and shows how our society has deteriorated.

I can't agree with this, ethelbags. The grief of the passengers' relatives would be so overwhelming, how on earth could the pilot's relatives be expected to deal with their own loss whilst witnessing the enormity of what their son had done.

It would have been cruel and foolhardy to allow contact.

Logic is skewed when depressed.

It is possible that he himself thought that he was safe to fly, when actually he clearly wasn't.

Having now written that, I dont think that it is likely that the man could be held totally responsible.
He had an up to date sick note.

As Anniebach says, he may have been totally responsible, as in it was his fault.
But he was almost certainly not thinking straight at all times.

You see what I cannot get my head round is this....the co-pilot knew exactly what he had to do to ensure his suicide plan was carried out without interference from the captain. He planned this. Even if the plan was only thought out in the minutes before the captain left the cockpit.

Yes, people are saying that people with severe depression (if that was what he had) are incapable of functioning. Sorry, but it doesn't make sense.

Yes, I have a family member who suffered a mental illness. No matter what the severity of that illness she would never have taken 149 other people with her.

Of course he's totally responsible. He tore up the sick note. His responsibility would have been to take time off for treatment.

I agree with Anya. This was planned and the opportunity arose during that flight.

He should never have been flying in the first place. Call me a wimp but I do NOT want to be flown by someone whose logic is skewed thank you very much.

There might be something else. Some kind of anger issue with society.

I have to agree with you Anya. I have the greatest sympathy for anyone suffering from mental illness [my mum was in a mental hospital for a while] but I don't know of anyone who harmed other people in the process. Even with the cases of paranoid schizophrenic[sp]who kill people I usually feel that the system has let them down in some way. But too much of this tragic case seems to have been premeditated.

I don't think that depressives normally take others with them.

My thoughts too jingl

OK Jillybobs, JingleBFs and all the rest of you who are so keen to scream 'Mass Murderer', 'Evil Monster' how would you feel if that was your son, the child you created, bore, gave birth to, raised and loved, who is now being branded in such a fashion? That same child who, in the darkest hours of his depression,couldn't share it with anyone- even those closest to him.

So come on Jillybob and you, JBF (who usually is so vocal on every subject under the sun)....in the words of the Divine Delia.....'Lets be hearing you'.'

Well, I've made my feelings clear and I'm not screaming anything.

That's a provocative and melodramatic post absentgrandma

I think most of us have said how sad we feel for the pilot's parents.

Well yes, but what about the other 147 parents, grand-parents, husbands and wives?

I find it very difficult to come to terms that depression, even severe- can excuse taking all those innocent people with you as 'revenge' or whatever.
I've know many who committed suicide due to depression- but didn't take 147 innocent with them...

Like it or not he is a mass murderer, 'experts' on the TV and radio have sadly stated that as fact.
'Evil', yes that too IMO. He'd been signed off work for sometime, deliberately chose not to adhere to his doctor's advice, must have been very ill mentally and yet managed to hide it from everyone, so presumably no one could have anticipated this might have been his plan.

If it were my son, well goodness only knows how they must feel, I can't begin to imagine their torment, I feel very very sad for everyone equally.

And by the same token absentgrandma how would you feel if your grandchild had been on the flight?

absentgrandma - "JBF (who usually is so vocal on every subject under the sun)....in the words of the Divine Delia.....'Lets be hearing you'.'

You have heard from me.

I haven't actually screamed anything. He killed 149 people as well as himself. That makes him a mass murderer. Inescapable fact.