Jury Duty

[Brian]

I just got summoned for jury duty... I get the need and I get that it's my responsibility as a Canadian citizen and I returned the papers asking for an exemption based upon mental disorder but bad timing. I've been doing decent past week and a half you know not a danger to myself anyway but now just waiting for the anxiety to plummet me. It may take a few hours but it is going to hit probably when this adrenaline piece wears off. ****.

[AJ]

I have been choosen for jury duty twice and I did get exempted based on mental disorder.

I'm glad to hear that you are keeping safe. How do you deal with the anxiety when it hits? I wait it out and try to distract myself, neither of which work very well.

[paul m]

Hello Brain. I'm glad to hear that you are doing not too bad. If you were selected for jury duty and then it came out that you had a diagnosed mental illness, it may be grounds for appeal. So the crown usually tries to eliminate people with a mental illness unless they have been stable for a very long time.

I don't consider the jury system very fair anyways. I don't know how it is out west, but almost everybody with a regular job here in Ontario tries to get out of Jury duty. Here you get no pay for the first 2 wks of jury duty, $40 a day for weeks 3-10 and a max of $100 per day if over that. Plus you get paid zero for parking( our courthouse charges 8 bucks a day) and zero milage unless you must travel more than 40 km each way. Some union jobs allow have in their contract that you get paid, but if you are self employed or work without a contract you are on your own.

A two long trial would net someone zero $, minus parking, minus travel expense(76 km round trip). So a person like my wife would not only end up losing two wks pay, but costing her money as well. That's not a very fair system. In Ontario you tend to end up with a jury of either retired people or people whose job keeps paying them. Hardly a jury of our peers. I won't even discuss how quick deliberations are when someone on the jury is getting paid. Ok I ranted enough for one day. Sorry to hijack your thread. Take Care. paul m

[Brian]

Thanks AJ, Paul. It helps to know you got exempted AJ.

I distract as well with constant music, video games. Sometimes I can work through anxiety like returning items to the store. All the fear and anxiety is in my head a distorted form of thinking. In reality if a clerk treated me the way I imagine I could get them fired. I have to remind myself that a lot but I’m usually successful at dealing with anxiety regarding store clerks I’m rarely stuck with a faulty item anymore. But in this case it’s not distorted thinking if they don’t excuse me and I refuse I go to prison that’s not in my head its law. 1000 dollar fine and or 1 month in prison and I could never deal with court so I have no choice but to refuse.

It’s not fair. We’re forced to work for free and if we refuse we go to prison that’s slavery. Why are my taxes being used to instill slavery in my own country?

[imsosad]

Brian,
Could you ask your pdoc for a letter explaining why you need to be exempt? I know my Mom got two summons and I just wrote on them that she has alzheimer's and refused. My dr was prepared to write a letter for me but they never asked.
Good luck.

[paul m]

Hello Brian. I have a problem with returning items to a store as well. My anxiety usually acts up to the point where I can anger quickly. Unfortunately a few store clerks have felt my temper when they were only following store policy.

Over time I've gotten better at this and when I feel that I've been unjustly treated and my temper slipping I ask to see a manager or I walk away and come back another day. Saves me making a fool of myself and berating some poor minimum wage employee.

I'll agree with Imsosad, usually the courts are pretty understanding. When my illness was at it's worse, my wife got called for jury duty and all she did was send a letter explaining that we were experiencing some real severe problems and then explained what they were. She got a letter back exempting her for a period of time. Take Care. paul m

[astronaut]

Brian,

I think you are jumping to conclusions way to fast. No wonder you are feeling so anxious, you are making up problems that aren't there yet. Don't worry about fees and prison unless the courts don't honour your refusal due to illness. You might spend days or weeks agonizing over something that isn't going to happen and it's just not worth it. Easier said than done, I know. I used to worry a ton about every tiny little thing, but I actually don't have near the amount of anxiety that I used to have (and that includes since coming off most of my medications well over a year ago).

Although I agree with Paul, that the jury system sounds corrupt unfair in Ontario, I think that the word "slavery" is a bit harsh and incorrect usage of the term in this situation.

astronaut

[Brian]

Yes I could get a letter if I need.

As you said easier said that done Astronaut. Logically I know I should wait until I hear back from them and when I do then I should deal with it. I know I can appeal any decision as well but that would land me in court which is what I’m trying to avoid due to social anxiety… I know that anxiety is also pointless and generally baseless as you said the problems don’t even exist yet I’m making them up. But none of that does anything.

I can focus on the fact it harms them as well if I was involved in a jury as Paul pointed out it’s grounds for appeal. Thus it doesn’t benefit them to force me and that does help along with knowing other people have been in a similar situation and got excused. There’s apart of me that just can’t help but expect the worst.

Thank you for all your responses, I do feel better than I did.

[purgatory]

Hi Brian - I've been sent a summons once and wrote same thing, they never came back so noworries there. At the time I was I always think worse case scenario but it was enough. Take care.

[astronaut]

Yeah, sorry Brian, you are right. When I have been in high anxiety myself, I also have worried irrationally and I know how hard it is to make the anxiety go away. It is as though the anxiety has a life of its own and no matter how much you rationalize about how irrational the worries are, they just ignore it.

The good news for me was that once my illness lifted enough and it wasn't such an effort to live life anymore, not only did I just stop worrying as much, but rationalizing my thoughts and telling myself not to worry until the problem happens, actually worked. I could actually stop myself from worrying about something petty or irrational just by pointing out to myself that there was no need to worry yet (if at all). So maybe there will come a time for you too when you can think away some of your anxiety just by telling yourself not to worry because the worst hasn't happened yet. I'm not saying you are close to getting to that stage, but that stage could come someday if you keep practicing rational thoughts.