Called for jury service - how to deal with anxiety?

[viccat]

Has anyone got out of jury service on mental health grounds?

I'm mostly ok but mainly because I've built my life around in a way that makes it easier to cope if that makes sense? So for example I mainly work from home because a lot of my anxiety is related to being away from home, being stuck somewhere I can't get out of, leaving my cats for too long at home, worrying about burglaries if I'm out a long time, worrying about public transport etc. etc.

I've just been called for jury duty and just the thought of it makes me anxious. It would mean two weeks or more having to be there for set hours every day - something I haven't done for years anywhere else! It's in December and the journey there involves a 20 minute walk in a fairly dodgy area as I would need to take public transport. And being stuck in a room of course, no chance to go home early etc. Ugghhh...

I used to see a therapist privately until last year but don't have anything on NHS medical records about mental health for years though. Could I still use mental health as an excuse to be excused from doing it? If not, how can I cope with doing it? I hate the uncertainty of it too, it says it can be two weeks but I know sometimes cases go on for months. I don't think I could cope with that.

You'd have to get a doctor's note if you wanted to be excused on medical grounds.

Are you able to defer it at all? I'm sure I was able to defer it for a couple of years.

I've done it twice. In both cases we sat around for a bit, waiting to hear if we would be called or not. The cases I had were minor theft, which is more common than not. We were sent home early on every single day - sometimes before lunch. I didn't do the second week at all the second time i served.

You don't have to talk to anyone - in fact, it's generally discouraged. You just sit, read a book / paper / trawl the web. Have a coffee. Or work if you can. It's not a pressured environment at all. In fact, it's very, very dull.

If you are called it's actually quite interesting to see how the whole process works. The only thing you have to do really is listen.

It is highly unlikely you would be called to a long-term case, and if you were, they always ask about any difficulties and you would be excused.

You can defer, which I did, but I was called again a year later.