While I agree that mental illness should not be borne alone no one should be thinking in black and white about people with physiological illnesses and people with psychological illnesses thinking that the twain never meet. There are many causes for psychological illness just like there are many causes for physiological illness and quite often one can be the cause of the other. I have cared for people in the past with AIDS and MS and many other physiological illnesses and often they have been in need of assistance where their mental state is concerned. Did you know that people with cardiac condition are up there in the number of people that commit suicide? For each person that mental health staff see it has been estimated that another five got away without anyone noticing - not even their family nor their friends!
My team works 7 days a week from early to late and for want of a better term we decide between the mad, the bad and the sad. The bad do not belong to mental health but the others do and dependent on their risk of harm to either themselves or others they may get to stay with us voluntarily or involuntarily and they may also have physiological illnesses or needs. The youngest I have seen was 8 years old and the oldest was in his 90s.
In the past even the recent past I have transported people with mental illnesses by car and also as their escort in an ambulance. Some have been scheduled and others have been voluntary.
I talk to people about their mental state which includes many many questions about behaviour, mood, thought content, perception,sleep, appetite, concentration as well as making judgements about thei appearance, affect, thought disorder and cognition. I take into context the use of ETOH, tobacco, prescription and non prescription drugs. A common cause of depression in middle aged smokers is the use of champix to give up smoking. The questions I ask also include the names, etc of any child under 18 and their current whereabouts as I am a mandatory reporter and I also have obligations regarding family and/or relationship violence no matter who the perpetrator is.
To think in black and white about treating people only with a physiological illness only in hospital is to err on the wrong path because wherever you have black and white there is always brindle! You should actually ask a person if they are okay and bear in mind there is always brindle somewhere.
If you have concerns about anyone you know you should seriously consider getting them help!
As an end note I would like to add that if the pilot did commit suicide due to family law court matters, he was in a high risk category as men often do not fair well emotionally in relationship breakups.