Driving medical - depression

[Wonderfulday]

My son applied for his provisional driving license and had to go for a medical as he was on anti-depressants. His own GP and his CAMHS counsellor gave their statement to say he was stable and his condition nor his medication would have any impact on his ability to drive. HOWEVER he was still subjected to a medical by the driving agency which asked questions about my marriage, where we happy couple, what relationship did he have with siblings, they asked about the reason he self harmed, how deep the cuts were, where on his body he cut, why he had depression, what does he talk to his counsellor about, how was his school life, they didn't accept generic answers, they pushed and pushed. What relevance does any of that have on his ability to drive! I was expecting questions like, does your medication make you drowsy, have you thoughts of harming others etc AIBU to take this further as in a complaint?? Surely if the people treating him for years say he is stable they should accept that without making him divulge personal issues to a complete stranger about things that happened when he was about 15!!! I am so furious that he was put through this!

And his depression

So does everyone starting an antidepressant have to stop driving for 3 months and report to dvla?

there’d be a lot of people affected if that were the rule.

Only if it affects your ability to drive that's why I am so annoyed at all this

@toomanytonotice No, as stated in the DVLA guidance linked to by a PP, you do not need to notify the DVLA for mild to moderate depression or anxiety.

They helpfully give clear instructions about what they do want to hear about: significant memory or concentration problems, agitation, behavioural disturbance or suicidal thoughts

Even if you do have these features, you can be fit to drive after 3 months being well, complying with your treatment plan and no side effects impairing concentration.

The OP has thought that the backing of CAMHS would be enough so appealed. But the DVLA cannot go against there own rules which state for severe features you have to be stable for 3 months.

Any assessment would have gone into her son's mental health quite deeply to establish whether he really had severe features and if so are they now resolved. A mental health assessment always involves asking a lot of very personal questions and the DVLA medical advisors rightly take their responsibility very seriously.

It does sound very intrusive but I wonder if the following factors were an issue.

1. The fact it had not been 3 months on the medication yet. In the middle of depression your energy is low, which is a protective factor when it comes to stopping you attempting to kill yourself. When you start taking medication, your energy level can go up before your mood or thinking improve, and this period is quite dangerous for people actually killing themselves.
2. Sibling and family relationships - for young people, these are often very very influential on their mental wellbeing and were a factor in suicide attempts in a significant number of cases. Not always - but often enough that we always included family therapy sessions in our work with our younger clients.
3. Suicide assessments are notoriously unreliable, and different professionals approach them very differently. So taking the word of another professional would probably never be deemed sufficient without doing your own assessment. Which is horrible for clients, as it means they can keep being asked the same things over and over.

Hopefully the fact he has been through it once means it will be easier for him going forward.

Thank you, I think I was expecting more questions around how his depression affects him , not why he has it, which has taken over a year for his camhs psychiatrist to get to the bottom of

Yes, MH assessments can feel very intrusive if you have not had them before, especially around risk. MH professionals live in fear of missing something when a person then goes on to kill themselves (not saying it is more traumatic than for the family and friends, btw, just that it is devastating professionally). Risk factors can change so quickly you really want to be thorough. And the idea that you could kill yourself by driving dangerously is one of the most common plans people put forward when they admit suicidal ideation.
Sorry it has been so shocking to you - thankfully it sounds like your son is ok.

I'm sorry you've been given such a hard time on here, @Wonderfulday. AIBU can be brutal in a completely pointless way.

I have been on ADs all of my driving life and find those questions incredibly intrusive. They could be very upsetting, especially for a young person who was not expecting them.

What was the job title of the person asking them?

Thank you, I was maybe naive when I posted but I wasn't expecting those responses! The appointment was at a private medical outpatient clinic, the letter just said it was with a doctor

What's a "corona of a very heavy very Dane's vehicle"?
Doesn't make sense. Don't you preview your comments before posting? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I read it as "control of a very heavy very dangerous vehicle"

@XenoBitch

"Ok, in the UK you only tick the box about disorders under advice from your GP.
Given the amount of people in the UK on AD, no one would be driving."

This isn't true, I have a three year driving licence because of a medical condition (not depression) and you have to self-declare on the form, my GP had nothing to do with it. The DVLA do then go back to your consultant/GP to verify whether you are safe to drive, but the duty is on you to declare it in the first place.

OP the process seems to vary depending who you get at the DVLA, I know other people with my medical condition who were scrutinised much more heavily than I was. Also I think it's his age that is relevant here too, a 17 year old male is unfortunately more at risk of self harm/suicidal thoughts than and elderly man for example, and they will be being extra cautious with him being an young driver. The questions can seem intrusive but they have a responsibility to make sure he and other road users are safe with him behind the wheel.

Was his assessment with a psychiatrist? I have never been to one so I am genuinely unsure.

I. Wasn't sure either but a quick Google search shows the doctor was a psychiatrist

The why is relevant. If the answer was 'I was being bullied at school but once that was dealt with, I stopped self-harming', or 'I didn't have any coping strategies for when I felt low, but then I had counselling and I do x, y, z instead', for example, they may be satisfied that the risk has passed. If it's 'that's how I cope when I'm feeling low' then they will be concerned it's an ongoing risk.

Has he ever self harmed or told his psychiatrist/therapist he's suicidal? Or attempted suicide? If so when did this last happen? Think about what caused his depression/suicidal ideations and think whether triggers are still here that may cause him to worsen.

I'm sorry to bring these up, but he might still be a risk to others on the road if he crashes.

But anyone else that self harms doesn't have to notify the driving agency?? The suicidal thoughts and acts I can understand them questioning but delving into where on his body he cut himself 2 years ago seems unnecessary when he hasn't done it since then

Self harming stopped 2 years ago and never attempted suicide

It is something that you have to notify the DVLA about. Doesn't necessarily mean you will be refused but you do have to notify them. If you fail to do so you invalidate your insurance.

He might've discussed suicidal ideations with his therapist, but never actually attempted suicide. Has he been removed from whatever caused his depression? I was your son's age when I was severely depressed. I ended up relapsing/worsening in my late teens and early 20s because of the triggers. Does your son now have healthy coping strategies? I completely understand the DVLA asking all these questions as your son could put innocent people at risk if he decides to crash his car.

Yes he is in a good place now, as a parent I am already nervous about the thought of him driving, so I would never allow it if I thought there was any additional risk and I will be the first to remove his keys if I saw his MH declining