It's not irrepsonsible at all to ensure that our divers are safe to dive. What is irresponsible is not disclosing something that might potentially be fatal.
I don't want to turn people away, and no I'm not a physician, but I have a good understanding of various medical conditions and the problems that might occur at depth, and I do know rather a lot of details. I'm not attacking anybody personally or putting anybody down, and if a person is medically cleared to dive then they are welcome to come and do so.
Thousands of people pass through the centre at which I work every year. We don't know them, and if somebody says they have a condition but they're fit to dive that's great, but I don't know them, I don't know whether that person is a pathological liar or a decent honest person, and I don't know how much they actually know about their own condition. Spouting medical terminology which I understand very well is going to make no difference, therefore I'm going to require that they see a physician whose judgement and medical opinion I trust.
A person's specific set of circumstances may well allow them to dive, and that's great, I want to see everybody loving their diving and enjoying the world in which I work. You can get medical clearance from a physician and it's valid for a whole year so just do it and bring it along, we'll accept that.
I'm not making judgements or putting people down simply because it's the Internet, I'd quite happily have the same discussion face to face, and indeed have done so many times. If a person is not willing to disclose what is a potentially serious medical condition on that "stupid" form (which it's not) then they are quite welcome to stay well away from my dive centre. If they have taken the appropriate steps and have the appropriate approval from a hyperbaric physician then I will introduce them to one of the most spectacular underwater environments on the planet.
People die because they lie, it's that simple. I'd like to get along with everybody, just do everybody a favour and make sure we all get along safely.
Cheers
C.