Jury duty and panic/anxiety: is there any way I can be excused?

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

I’ve been with my partner at his house for this lockdown but am now back in my own place ahead of my daughter starting school on Monday. We’ve had people checking the house from time to time and I’ve checked too BUT arrived back yesterday to find a jury summons. I’m late responding but will phone the helpline first thing on Monday morning.

The thing is that I have anxiety and panic which is being treated with sertraline. My issue/trigger is being in a situation that I can’t easily leave. When I have an attack I tend to faint... over the years it’s happened in theatres, the cinema, when performing on stage, on a train, in restaurants... it’s absolutely incapacitating and I just know I won’t cope. Does anyone have any experience of either the summons process or they themselves being excused?

I was excused.
I wrote on the slip to be returned that I was on medication as I suffered anxiety and depression and said they could contact my dr to confirm if they needed to. I never heard from them again.

Oh thank you so much for your response. That’s reassuring.

I gave mental health as my reason for not doing jury service, I've never been asked again since.

I am not advising you to do anything that might get you into trouble BUT your summons was sent non recorded so there’s no record of you receiving it UNLESS a you contact the helpline.
They don’t have the time and resources to chase people who may or may not have received the summons, only those who don’t turn up when asked.
This definitely works by the way

Hoppinggreen, I was going to post that and I know of several people that just tossed away the letter and heard nothing. There are many people eager to attend for the experience, epseically those that work for a company where they pay your full salary.

I am not advocating breaking the law but just saying what I've heard from people that claimed to have tossed it in the bin, usally those that run their own business but others as well.

Yes,once you reply you are basically in the system BUT they send out far more letters than they expect to get replies.

Thank you all so much for your reassurances! I’m going to call first thing on Monday morning and explain the situation. And I’d no idea that they’d not chase you but saying that, it was dated 17th February with a 7-day window in which to respond so 🤷‍♀️

You can be excused on medical grounds, my dm was, her GP wrote a supporting letter and you don't even have to pay for a GP letter regarding jury duty

If the window to respond has closed, I would leave it unless you hear from them again. It's not like you ignored it, you were away from home and couldn't respond.

I was excused from jury duty for this very condition. I reported that I had panic attacks in public and small things could cause an attack such as any stressful situation. I stated that I could not guarantee being able to sit through a case without having an attack and losing control completely. I dont like sitting too close to people or being surrounded by them. A trial is quite a formal process and officials do not wish to run the risk of having a juror cause a disturbance. Like a previous poster I was excused and never heard from them again. I did not have to produce any medical evidence but could have done so if necessary.

Thank you so much everyone and yes @sneakysnoopysniper this is exactly the thing. One of my triggers for losing all control (and fainting) is gory stuff and if the case were to be about a violent crime then I’d be in trouble and they’d have to stop all proceedings whilst I was bundled out on a gurney, probably. Sounds melodramatic but this has been happening to me for years.

I’ve decided that I’m still going to respond as it feels the right thing to do but tell them what I’ve told you all. I’ll report back.

And thank you everyone ... I hold down a job that involves lots of public speaking and big decisions and cope with that as I’m (mostly) in control of things but being called for JD has properly given me the wibbles!

The possibility of a juror having anxiety/panic attacks or a complaint like agoraphobia is something that courts would not want to risk as it would mean the expense of a case being abandoned and re-tried if the person was unable to continue. This is probably your safest excuse to avoid jury duty. For every person who seeks to be excused there is probably one who would quite like the experience and whose employer will pay them for being off.

Just popping back to say that I received an email at 9:21 this evening (a bit of a random time) saying I’ve been excused! It’s bloody reassuring in that it has ‘you have been excused from jury service’ in the subject line; ‘You were due to start jury service soon but you have now been excused’ as a header then ‘Dear (my name), You do not need to attend court for jury service this time or take any further action.‘ I LOVE how they’ve said three times that I don’t need to go: very much appeals to my anxious, slightly needy self!!! Anyway: phew! Thank you everyone for your measured advice and voices of experience when I was feeling jittery. Needed that!

Hi

I just received A jury service summons today through the post

I’m in the same situation as you with regards to anxiety

I’m planning to ring up tomorrow to explain to them

I just wanted to ask if you did ring up or just respond to the paper form? As you said they replied to you by email

Were they quite helpful on the phone?

I was excused.
I managed three days in the waiting area, waiting around for nothing. Called in towards the end of the week had a meltdown.
I had as well as anxiety disorder have chronic illness and getting the bus every morning at 7.30, got too much which resulted the meltdown. Thankfully judge was kind and excused me.

@Lucy45 my husband rang the court to ask for additional information to help with his anxiety when he was called, he just wanted to know where the door was and things like that, but they excused him straight away. Ring up and explain and I'm sure it'll be fine. I have deferred twice, done it once and excused myself once and they have been so nice every time I've contacted them.

Glad you were excused op. I would be great if they had a register of people who want to do it like me. I have the time but have never been called.

Hey @Lucy45 Sorry- only just spotted this. I phoned up and was advised to respond on an online portal (I think... to be honest, it was a crazy time as I was about to move house, part way through a divorce, working 4 days a week, parenting and we’d just lost a beloved pet so memory of that time is hazy!) but perhaps the system differs depending on where you are? I’m not sure but I hope they do excuse you!

@Shopaholic100 I agree that this is how jurors should be selected. Would save a huge amount of stress!

It would be great if they had a register of people who want to do it like me.

I agree that this is how jurors should be selected. Would save a huge amount of stress!

How would you then ensure that the jury was representative of the population?

Thank you, I submitted the online form in the end on Thursday so waiting to hear back ( which in itself is stressing me ) but hopefully it will be ok

Just said I suffer from anxiety and OCD both of which I have seen a doctor about in the past if they want to check my medical records albeit this was 10 years ago so would not be able to sit still for hours on end

@DameAlyson you make a valid point there!

@Lucy45 Good luck! Will you let us know how you get on?

Did you have to provide aDrs note OP?
I’m in the same boat and am easily triggered based on childhood trauma. I’m also on anti anxiety meds. Do you just ring them and explain?

Thank you, will do

I submitted the online form it says they can take up to 10 working days to reply so will just have to see

It seems everyone here has been excused for this reason So hopefully they will be ok about it

@Chiffandbip I just included my doctor’s details in case they wanted to follow things up but I suspect they never did. No doctor’s note needed though.