Professor Simon Wessely warned authorities against a knee-jerk reaction to Tuesday 's Germanwings crash and said pilots with a history of depression - like co-pilot Andreas Lubitz ( above ) - should not immediately be banned from flying commercial jets . Pilots with a history of depression should not be banned from flying commercial jets , a leading British psychiatrist has claimed . Professor Simon Wessely warned authorities against a knee-jerk reaction to Tuesday 's Germanwings crash . He made the comments after it was revealed co-pilot Andreas Lubitz suffered from mental health issues and may have been receiving treatment for vision problems before he deliberately crashed the Airbus A320 , killing all 150 people on board . Around 100 commercial pilots in the UK have a history of depression with 42 currently on medication , The Observer reported . Prof Wessely , president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists , said the aviation industry should not rush to change the rules . He cited the response by health authorities to the crimes of Dr Harold Shipman , who is thought to have killed between 215 and 260 of his patients , as an example of ineffective policy . He said : 'It is not a good idea to rush . It is like the response to Shipman - an utterly bizarre and unpredictable event is not a good basis of policy . 'The procedures that they then brought in would not have prevented Shipman . 'What does cause trouble is saying that if you ever have a history of depression then you should not be allowed to do whatever . That is wrong , as much as saying that people with a history of broken arms should n't be allowed to do something . ' Prof Wessely also stressed there was not a link between depression and aggressive suicide . But a father of one of the three Britons killed has called for more to be done to see pilots were 'looked after ' . Prof Wessely also stressed there was not a link between depression and aggressive suicide . Lubitz deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps after locking his captain out of the cockpit . Rescue workers inspect debris from the Germanwings jet at the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes . Philip Bramley , whose son Paul , 28 , was on the flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf , said : ' I believe the airlines should be more transparent and our finest pilots looked after properly . 'We put our lives and our children 's lives in their hands . ' Questions continue to be asked about Lubitz 's mental and physical health days after he locked the captain out of the cockpit and brought down the airliner . Authorities have already revealed he hid a sick note declaring him unfit to work from his employers on the day of the disaster . Evidence found at his home suggested he was suffering from a 'serious psychosomatic illness ' , police said . Officers reportedly found a variety of drugs used to treat mental illness at his flat in Dusseldorf , appearing to substantiate claims he was severely depressed . According to German newspaper Bild the 27-year-old also previously told an ex-girlfriend : 'One day I will do something that will change the whole system and then all will know my name and remember it . ' A rescue worker is carefully lifted into an helicopter near the snowy crash site with a stretcher . Rescuers in uniform gather in front of a memorial set in front of the Alps for the victims of the Germanwings air crash . Two teddy bears dressed in the uniforms of a Germanwings pilot and a flight attendant sit in the centre of a wreath . Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said : 'The intention was to destroy the plane . Death was instant . The plane hit the mountain at 700kmh ( 430mph ) . ' I do n't think that the passengers realised what was happening until the last moments because on the recording you only hear the screams in the final seconds ' . A search team is still combing the two-hectare crash site . The second black box has yet to be found .
Professor Simon Wessely warned authorities against a knee-jerk reaction . He said: 'People are going to be very concerned about the impact of this on their daily lives. Germanwings co-pilot had a 'serious psychosomatic illness ' , police said .