DVLA & mental health issues

[FreezingFingers]

Just wondering if anybody has had their driving licence taken away from them due to their mental health problems??
I have long term bad depression & Emotionally Unstable PD and am currently back in hospital on a section 3
My consultant said if there were any future incidents of reckless driving (eg police chases, self harming whilst driving) he would contact the DVLA but it seems someone has contacted them anyway cos they've sent me a big form to fill in & they wanna contact my doctors etc

For the record I've been driving over 20 years with a full clean licence - never had any points on it etc etc
Worried how this might affect my insurance cost too

Any advice on keeping my licence much appreciated

I can't help, sorry. I know people who have got a free bus pass with a letter from their psychiatrist when their licence has been taken away.

Erm, yes, I've read about it many times. I largely think that it's discriminatory and overkill, but if someone has a history of dangerous drivingregardless of MHa doc has a responsibility to protect people. I believe the DVLA generally expect stability for 6 months before they will return a license (and I think 12 months if there's been psychosis).

I wonder if the letter sent is linked more to the fact you are on a section 3 rather that an incident of police chases/self harm when driving. It can be standard practice in some areas to inform the DVLA when someone is on a particular section. That may be why. If you refuse permission from your dr's to be contacted then that will also count against you I would think.

The best thing is to be honest. If what you say does not agree with the dr's then that will not look good for you. If you talk about your diagnosis and treatment on the letter then they will be able to make the correct decision, which is not always permanent.

You can receive a free bus pass if unable to drive for a period of time due to MH issues.

I get a Freedom Pass on the grounds of '7) People who, if they applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, would have their application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.'

Probably for the best for me as I wasn't really safe on the roads. The Freedom Pass is worth nearly £2k a year so actually much better than the running costs of having a car anyway.

I found out about a year after my first psychosis that it was an illness that needed to be declared to the DVLA.

They sent me the forms and after contacting my psychiatrist, issued me with a licence which was valid for a year.

The year has almost come around and they have done the same again - contacted my psychiatrist and GP this time.

I am assuming they will both say I am fine, but if the admin is not done in the next couple of weeks then I'm not allowed to drive until my licence is re-issued. Fingers crossed.

If you write to the DVLA you may well receive back a standard letter saying that you can't drive until 3 months since the most recent episode. They will write to your Responsible Clinician and he/she will have the final word.

You can make the application two months after discharge. When the three months are up it can take DVLA up to six months to do the paperwork so the whole process can take up to six months.

To get a free bus pass you need a GP letter and a photo. Ask at your library.

If you have a relapse the whole process starts again.

Oops. I meant that it takes up to 12 weeks to do the paperwork, meaning a TOTAL of six months after latest episode.

I haven't been clear at all.
It looks like you won't be driving for six months so you need to organise a bus pass.
Rethink should be able to give you the information. It is a long and frustrating process and adds to isolation. Your clean license counts for nothing, I'm afraid.

Just updating what has happened since....
My licence was revoked for 3 months so that was finished in May
I've emailed them twice and been told it's still awaiting review
Neither my GP or consultant psychiatrist/mental health team have been asked to send any info
(although I don't think they were asked originally anyway )
Because of my people phobia/anxiety, the impact on my life has been hugely detrimental
My support worker comes & takes me to my appointments & that is it
I can't go anywhere
Keep running out of meds because they will only give me prescriptions for 5 days - just generally fed up of everyone trying to make my life so bloody difficult - it is hard enough anyway

Can you get medication from a local pharmacy or ask for them to be delivered to you at home if you not near one if they will do so?

It is common for people to lose driving licences and sadly as people have posted it can take quite a whole to get a licence back. Can you ask your support worker to help you find out about how long the process may take? Can you use buses?

When I was admitted to a mother and baby unit, I was advised not to drive, while I was very ill.

I think the bet thing to do would be to contact your pharmacy ( or another one, maybe a larger chain). I know Lloyd's and boots will post your meds out to you.

It's sounds like you are struggling, and obviously I know nothing about your life, but the thing that gote through, when it all seemed impossible, was to take it one day, sometimes one hour at a time. If you can't drive, then see if you can go to the bus stop. If you manage that, give yourself credit and ask yourself if you can get on the bus. If you can't, then that's ok, try again tomorrow. It's about small victories.

I'm sorry if you have heard all this before, but please believe that you can get through this.

Thank you both for the replies - I am just having a frustrating moany day
The Boots pharmacy connected to the GP surgery said they can only do it for 7 days or more
I had to battle to get it moved up from 3 days to 5
No to buses - The only time I go out usually anyway is when I chuck my dogs in the car & drive to somewhere remote to walk them & I am really missing that
I've been pestering everyone to sort out/help me with those 2 issues but it's like banging my head against a brick wall
Have an appointment on Monday so fingers crossed they might be willing to write some letters on my behalf

Moan away!!

Very frustrating about the 7 days. Perhaps you can get 7 days when they say you more stable? Hope so.

Have the dr's all said they happy for you to drive? If so sounds like a slow admin on DVLA holding you up annoyingly.

You know ?? I've never actually asked them !!!
Just kept banging on at them that I need my licence back ASAP & is there not something they could do or find out what is going on
Makes me sound like a bad patient - I'm not (honestly)
I asked my DBT therapist last week if she would write to the DVLA but she said she wasn't happy enough with my attendance rate (not helped by having no car !!!!)
Have a psychiatrist appt on Monday so will ask him (if I remember)

I think the DVLA will probably want the dr or consultant t confirm you are able to drive instead of a therapist - so a psychiatrist sounds a good person to do that!!! Hope it goes well for you.

Yes you are probably right but it did say they welcomed any extra medical info
And I have hardly seen my care co-ordinator or consultant since I started DBT because they have to take a back seat - apparently
(Personally I just think they don't want to see me )
Anyway - because of my phone phobia, part of this week's homework was to actually ring the DVLA & find out what "awaiting review" means ..........

Well - it means my application was scanned onto the system mid-June .... there is an 8 week queue until it is looked at which will be mid-Aug - they will then write to my drs (who have 6 weeks to reply) and THEN there is a 12 week waiting list before their doctors to actually look at what my drs have said & make a decision!
I am absolutely devastated - I cannot believe what has happened in my life over this last year

Hi I think DBT is a more intensive program, well it is where I live and the psychiatrist tends to deal with medication issues and the cpn co-ordinate a care usually - therefore your care is the dbt person/team. I understand why you would ask the dbt person in that case. Personally I would not want to declare was doing dbt and would just get the psychiatrist to do it and gp as they know less which can be good?

Generally hospital admittance is not good for driving, or any involvement with police and cars. Can you get support worker to help you with buses?

Just for completeness cos it drives me mad when I find a thread & end up wondering what happened next my 1st application was rejected due to my psychiatrist's report
Still can't believe this is all happening
No date given on letter as to when I should next re-apply so rang them & they said it was entirely down to my consultant now
Have had a few issues with my treatment compared to what I've read on here for other health trusts ....... I don't know how safe this is but I might post details if I think it's ok

I hope you get it back soon. Mine (about 15 yrs after consultant first notified DVLA) is still subject to regular reviews, annual or sometimes 3 yearly I think, and gets revoked for 6 months at a time if I'm 'unwell' or off meds. It has never affected my insurance though.

They don't even know about anything bad I've ever done with a car! Except for giving other patients driving lessons round the hospital grounds (which was a golf course). Although I did escape once and buy a shiny new car from the nearest garage.

I'm on a one year renewable licence. I get a form every year, which I fill in and then it gets sent to my consultant psych and GP for their opinion. I've always had it renewed though.

In your position, I'd get hold of the forms again, fill in when you last saw your consultant etc and they'll send the forms to them again. Maybe it will jerk a response out of them.