Originally Posted by rubindj
A pilot -- even a private pilot -- cannot recieve a medical cert if he suffers from a serious mental disorder.
They rely mostly on self disclosure on the medical application form. There are no required tests for mental disorders on the pilot medicals. Each AME is free to add whatever additional tests they want, of course, but there are plenty of docs out there that do only the minimum. Pilots are also free to choose whichever AME they prefer.
My 1st class medicals take about ten minutes, including filling out the paperwork. This particular AME is a retired AAL pilot and has a steady stream of airline pilots filling his office at the rate of about five or six per hour.