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Reports: Antidepressants found in home of Germanwings co-pilot

The 27-year-old co-pilot also sought treatment for vision problems that "could have been psychosomatic," according to a source with knowledge of the investigation who was quoted by The New York Times.

By Amy R. Connolly
Handout pictures dated 26 March 2015 shows members of the French national gendarmerie investigating the area after the A320 Germanwings passenger aircraft crashed in a mountain range of the French Alps. The plane heading to Dusseldorf from Barcelona with 150 people onboard was allegedly taken down by its co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, there were no survivors. Photo by Francis Pellier/MI DICOM/UPI
1 of 3 | Handout pictures dated 26 March 2015 shows members of the French national gendarmerie investigating the area after the A320 Germanwings passenger aircraft crashed in a mountain range of the French Alps. The plane heading to Dusseldorf from Barcelona with 150 people onboard was allegedly taken down by its co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, there were no survivors. Photo by Francis Pellier/MI DICOM/UPI | License Photo

PARIS, March 28 (UPI) -- German police reportedly found antidepressants while searching the apartment of Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who allegedly rammed Germanwings Flight 9525 into the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all 150 aboard.

Lubitz also sought treatment for vision problems that may have hampered his ability to continue flying, multiple news outlets reported Saturday.

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The Wall Street Journal, quoting sources close to the investigation, said Lubitz, 27, saw an eye specialist at the University Clinic in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Meanwhile, The New York Times on Saturday quoted an official who said police found antidepressant medications while searching Lubitz's apartment in Düsseldorf. The Times also quoted a source with knowledge of the investigation saying investigators have not "ruled out the possibility that the vision problem could have been psychosomatic," indicating an illness with physical symptoms caused by a mental state including stress or anxiety.

As investigators continued sifting through the wreckage of the Airbus A320, French media were reporting Lubitz had broken up with his girlfriend shortly before the flight. The German tabloid Bild quoted a woman identifying herself as Lubitz's former girlfriend saying he planned to "do something" so people would remember his name.

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Also Saturday, authorities identified the pilot as Patrick Sonderheimer, a seasoned professional with more than 6,000 hours experience.

Investigators have said Lubitz's mental condition, which could have included severe depression, may have led him to intentionally put the plane on a crash course with the mountainside. Germanwings initially insisted he was "100 percent fit" to fly, but have since pulled back as more information emerges.

"We can't believe it," an official with Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, told CNN. "If anything was wrong with his eyes during the physical exam we would have known."

Investigators are hoping to get more information from the "black box" flight-data recorder.

Additional reporting by Fred Lambert.

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