The National Alliance on Mental Illness has expressed its sadness over the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525. It gave condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this senseless tragedy.

It has been said that the co-pilot crashed the plane as he suffered from depression and developed suicidal tendencies. A German prosecutor has most recently reported that the co-pilot had attended sessions of psychotherapy for an extended period of time and suicidal tendencies were noted in him.

The airline has reported that he disclosed to them in 2009 that he had a previous episode of severe depression. He received the treatment for the condition before receiving his pilot’s license.

Experts have estimated that nearly 40,000 people die from suicide each year. Although suicides are not rare, murder suicides like this where co-pilot killed himself along with 149 other people are very rare.

Violence is not usual among people living with mental illness and many other factors are likely to trigger violent tragedies. The full history of the co-pilot who crashed the Flight 9252 is not known yet.

The plane crash has now highlighted the importance of deciding whether or not a person with mental illness should be allowed to serve in certain professions. Many mental illnesses can be treated and people do recover.

There’s a lot the world can learn from the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 to prevent the loss of many precious lives.