Bart Johnson documents in his book, Can't Be Trusted that the FAA Aeromedical Division exaggerated his diagnosis of depression with psychotic features by relabeling it a schizophrenia using pre DSM III standards which is predates 1974-1980 when it the DSM III was published. https://anchor.fm/thepilotspandemic/episodes/50-Bart-Johnson--Author-of-Cant-Be-Trusted-Mans-attempt-to-repeal-indefensible-diagnose-by-FAA-e1ngil2 Which Johnson goes into great detail on The Pilots Pandemic podcast.
Johnson states that his diagnosis was crafted by the FAA from 1960s Freudian theories that have been discredited for decades. That his diagnosis was relabeled intentionally because the stigma gave the FAA an excuse to deny him a medical.
This motivated Johnson to write the book about his experience https://cantbetrusted.org/?page_id=178 He also states that pilots are punished for telling the truth which drives them to lie on their medical forms to avoid this very situation. Johnson states that the FAA requires pilots to go their "consultant doctors" that rubber stamps whatever the FAA wants to happen to the pilot. Johnson also stated the FAA had a Yale University Doctor get cagy with him where the Yale Doctor defended the use of 1960s Pre DSM III diagnosis criteria used by the FAA. Johnson feels that this not only discredits The FAA but also the Yale Doctor and Yale University itself.
Johnson's goal is to have every psychiatrist and psychologist understand this problem and that Johnson stated "this does not look good for psychology/psychiatry, the FAA or Yale University" as well as pilots in general. He also views that forensic psychiatrists/psychologists tagging people with mental health diagnoses with no basis in reality is unwarranted and unethical based on pure stigma. Johnson views that forensic psychiatrists/psychologists fail to perform due-diligence when they tag people with diagnoses. That psychiatry/psychology is all opinion with no fact to back it up, then a forensic psychiatrists/psychologist will say whatever they want to please their client, this case being the FAA.
Johnson gave a 21-minute talk to the Program in Psychiatry and the Law (PIPATL) at Harvard. The abstract reads: “What are the mental health standards for piloting an airplane? What is the law? How is it applied? This is a general introduction to these subjects, along with my personal experience in the system. There is ample room for discussion of forensic psychiatry and medical ethics in this subject.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrzu2ovICZM