Went to renew my driver’s license today only to learn that I had a mental health hold put on me
Now I have to jump through a bunch of hoops to maybe be able to drive again in several weeks
So much for de-stigmatization, that’ll teach me not to tell people about my problems
There’s definitely more to this than just depression.
Yeah I’ve been diagnosed depression long before I was even able to drive. In the many years since, I was an alcoholic, meaning my right to drive was under scrutiny many times. Depression never entered into any discussion.
I think this is b8
This is likely b8, or missing a ton of info, but I’d say a 1/100,000 chance “get a second opinion and never see that provider again.” You’d need a phenomenally abysmal doctor to go to the DMV and assert, in writing, that your depression is bad enough to impair driving. But such doctors do exist, and I think if a doctor was enough of an asshole to do the legwork, it would be taken seriously.
Apparently if there’s a mental health diagnosis, Utah puts a hold pending medical review: https://casetext.com/regulation/utah-administrative-code/public-safety/title-r708-driver-license/rule-r708-7-functional-ability-in-driving-responsibilities-for-physicians-and-drivers
Since my depression hasn’t been totally asymptomatic for two years, I fall under Safety assessment level 2, which requires an annual medical report (or potentially SAL 6, depending on how seriously you take the side effect warnings on Zoloft)
I would think it would require some kind of court action.
That said, depending on the state, the DMV can and does operate independent of the courts, and doesn’t have to wait for, or even abide, court orders, being an independent agency.
It’s fucked up, I’ve been through it with a records mix up (yea, crazy this stuff does happen).
Apparently just having depression requires a medical review, and it seems like anyone who hasn’t been completely asymptomatic for two years needs an annual medical report
I’ve been professionally diagnosed depression and sleep disorder for well over a decade and never had any issues with my license or had it come up. I agree, this smells.
For this to be true in the US (which is where I would guess you’re talking about, since you’ve used the initilization “DMV”), a court would have suspended or revoked your license for some reason, and you would already know about that.
I don’t think there’s anywhere that would have said “This person is too mentally ill to be driving a car, but we’ll just let them find out when they go to renew their license.”
I didn’t get a hold of anything. Just paperwork I had to have my doctor and therapist say I’m able to drive. I get it every 6 months usually and it’s fucking annoying.
I get two separate ones too. One for mental health and one for my diabetes.
If I don’t they will suspend my license.
You can get your license suspended for diabetes?
Yep! They give me a paper and it has a range between like 1-10 or something between like it’s managed and it’s not a threat to driving to completely ban you from driving (iirc could be just suspend idk that’s what I remember)
Mainly if your diabetic and it’s not manageable or extreme enough that the doctor can consider you a threat to other people driving.
There was like 8 other ones too. One for mental health. I didn’t really look at it when I had it with the other ones.
Doesn’t low blood sugar make you pass out?
It can do a lot of things. Including that.
This would have to be a very unusual event though. Episodes of it going low enough for that should be so rare that it makes no sense to affect your license.
If you’re going that low that often then there is most likely another issue contributing pretty heavily.
I don’t read up on statistics for this or anything but I’ve had it happen once. There was a huge medical problem at the time that interacted with it unpredictably. That was actually the inviting event that let me know I had that problem.
Either way, I’m sure there are people who should definitely have this bar on it. They really should get it under some kind of control. If they’re out of it that bad that often, I really feel bad for them but losing a privilege is better than losing a life. Or several lives.
But it shouldn’t be on there from day 1. Assume the same of them that you would anyone else. If they start to develop a history for this, then measures should be taken. I would think self preservation should keep them wanting to push the line. Unless they’re in denial about it, but I’m rambling now.
Yeah, I think this might be similar paperwork. Except they never sent it to me, so I just got blindsided with it when I went to renew
Suddenly I find out that not only can I not renew it, but I’d been driving on a suspended license for a few months and nobody bothered to inform me
Probably didn’t get to you for some reason. Which is exactly why I believe they should have paperless options but hey government is always 20 behind in tech.
I’m calling BS. There has to be another reason. I know that myself and many others have/had depression and the DMV never gave a singular fuck.
Tell the truth OP. What is the real reason you can’t have your license?
I can, I just need to do some bs paperwork that needs to be signed by my doctor
But it’s going to take 2 weeks for the paperwork to arrive via mail, and I can’t drive to my doctor’s office to get it signed or to the DMV to submit it
Meanwhile, I can’t drive to school or work
Is depression enough alone for a mental health hold? Feels like that should require more criteria.
If you are taking prescription medication or have declared a mental health condition, you usually have to fill out an additional form that your healthcare provider needs to complete and then the DMV goes from there.
If you don’t declare you have a mental health condition and/or that you are taking medication, you are lying to the government and they don’t like that.
So your options are fucking yourself or maybe really get fucked by the government.
Source?
Probably depends on the state and how the DMV runs.
Any source will do.
This is what i thing hit OP. cant say about the guy you are responding to though.
California Health and Safety Code Section 103900
You’d think so!
There is exactly one mention of mental health in Utah law for a drivers license. You’re better off telling your story instead of acting like this was a surprise. You wouldn’t have gotten 99% of the comments doubting you.
41-6a-502
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs see: 41-6a-509(8)41-6a-517(11)
Driving with any Measurable Controlled Substance in the body.Court may shorten suspension period if the person: [there are seven different options, below is the relevant one]
Completes educational series approved by the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (if treatment is not ordered);
The Utah DLD has easily found information on their website regarding mental health and driving privileges. On dld.utah.gov/drivers, under the section “Medical Standards for Drivers” you can find a list of medical categories pertaining to drivers. Specifically, Category G relates directly to mental health, and seems to entrust health care providers with broad discretionary power per my reading.
If you have more trouble navigating their site than I did, the direct link to the .pdf detailing the safety levels associated with Category G is https://dld.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/08/Category-G-2024.pdf.
I just found that and was about to link it!
I’m not sure what my doctor would report my condition as, but since I’ve felt depressed within the last two years I’m technically at least Safety Assessment Level 2, which means a doctor needs to give the DMV an annual health report or my license gets suspended. (Technically Zoloft, one of the most common depression medications, has drowsiness as a potential side effect. So I very well could be SAL 6, which requires a review every 6 months and a doctor’s specific recommendation to drive)
I didn’t know any of that, because I got my license and diagnosis before that law existed, and never got the letter telling me to get a report or telling me my license was suspended
It’s definitely not a substance thing, I’m a teetotaler with a possibly unreasonable fear of addiction/dependency and a nearly spotless driving record
I’ll have to wait for the form to arrive to see their criteria, so I might update in “7-10 business days” when that happens
What state?
depression
North or South?
sigh
West
Utah
Well, that explains the depression
I got my diagnosis when I was still living in Michigan
It suddenly makes a little more sense
Thanks. I’m curious if other states do this.
No states do this. Utah doesn’t even do it.
So… are you going to elaborate?
I’ll update when the paperwork arrives in 7-10 business days
Shame for them.
Do you have prescribed medications? Could one of them affect your driving?
Depends on a law, if there are no negative symptoms, you can drive.I hadn’t thought of that
My medication can cause drowsiness, but they specifically said it was a mental health hold
Meanwhile “why are no airline pilots willing to talk about their problems?”
Much as this is bad, and probably was handled wrong, the idea is sound. there are a lot of people out there who shouldn’t be driving and governments are not doing enough to find them.
The real problem here is you live someplace where public transit is so bad you feel like you have to drive to live a normal life. You sometimes need a truck drivers (for your trash…) and so someone needs to drive, but this should be a minority of people in any city.
So much for de-stigmatization, that’ll teach me not to tell people about my problems
Yeaaaa, you can talk about it just not to the government who likes to fuck with people.
