Absolutely. I ran into this as a new student pilot recently. Went in to get my medical thinking it would be a breeze, but my mention of going through a period o

Absolutely. I ran into this as a new student pilot recently. Went in to get my medical thinking it would be a breeze, but my mention of going through a period of depression more than a decade ago (not diagnosed, just my layman's assessment at the time) and some more recent work-related anxiety was enough to get my medical deferred. This process will likely take me months to wade through, and this is only for a third-class medical (for a private pilot, not commercial)! I filled out the form assuming the doctor would be free to exercise discretion and that it wouldn't be an issue, but it turns out the FAA wants all these kinds of responses referred to a small team in Oklahoma City who will eventually get through the backlog and review them. It's not a very big deal for me; I just wanted to fly for fun, and can wait a few months. But for someone for whom this is a career, I can't help but imagine that there are lots of pilots out there that avoid seeking help so as not to jeopardize their career.