Jury summons - GAD/social anxiety and multiple health issues :(

[LittleMissSleepy]

Hi

anyone been demanded to attend jury summons service ? (I am in UK)

I was on here a few years ago thinking I was being summoned, but I was not at that time.... unfortunately it has now happened! :(

I am housebound with multiple health issues - invisible physical and mental disabilities, which are not diagnosed (reasons I won't go into, but I have been badly let down).

My stress is through the roof.

I have not left my house due to poor health for over a decade.

What is the process for being excused from jury service?

especially when I do not have any of these facts down on my medical record, other than a "just a bit anxious/anxiety"

any help gratefully received

[Elise]

Hiya,
Firstly, sorry you're feeling rubbish. Best bet is to get a doctors note explaining you have severe anxiety at least, also ask the GP at the time if this would be enough to be considered exempt?

[LittleMissSleepy]

Thanks for reading and replying
It is looking like this is the only way to go...

sigh

[fishman65]

You can definitely get a GP to sign you off LittleMissSleepy. They can't possibly expect you to attend if you've been housebound for that period of time.

[chinadoll19]

I've had some experience of this. I have been called for jury service twice and was terrified. At the time I had terrible agoraphobia. Also I was in terrible withdrawal from tranquilizers I had taken for about 20 years. The withdrawal was horrific but I won't go into that. Anyway though my doctor didn't want to agree there were withdrawal symptoms he agreed my nerves were too bad to do it, and wrote a note for me which the courts accepted. So I didn't have to do it. Some years later they sent again, I still coudn't face it, but it was just after I had lost my husband so I told them I was bereaved and grieving, they accepted that as a reason for not having to do it. Thankfully I am now too old to be called, though they kept putting the age up when I thought I was safe. So in your case there is hope you can be excused on the grounds of 'nerves' if your doctor will co-operate. Hope it works for you, I know how you feel.

[BlueIris]

I served on a jury a couple of years back. I'm not agoraphobic but I do suffer from anxiety, and I strongly suspect I'm autistic. I was quite enthusiastic about the whole experience beforehand, but it turned out to be one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and it took me about a year to recover from the mental health damage.

Speak to your GP. Explain. Get an exemption. If I ever get called up again, I won't hesitate to do the same myself.

[MyNameIsTerry]

When I was called about 7 years ago you could self exempt on the return form if you were under care of a health professional for various things. I was only diagnosed with GAD and they just sent me a confirmation back. No GP checks involved.

[Lolalee1]

Hi Terry :DI did the same thing,just presented my mental health care plan and bingo out the door I went:yesyes:

[LittleMissSleepy]

Thank you to everyone who read and replied. I really appreciate your input.
I can well imagine it might be a traumatic experience. I'm almost certain it would be triggering.
My Mum was called to do it many decades ago.
I couldn't ask her more about it as she has recently passed.
But from what I remember she told me some of the hearings were traumatic in nature.

I've now received a response, and I do not need to attend, this time.

Fortunate that I was so brutally honest about my difficulties, physical, mental and allergies (thanks to being on the spectrum) they believed me.
For once I was not masking and being "I am alright Jack".

Being honest worked for once.

[LittleMissSleepy]

@chinadoll my condolences, sorry for your loss. Thank you for taking the time to write your experience.