Just had a letter informing me I’m required to attend for Jury duty. I’m 50 with young onset, I can’t sit still for 30 minutes, certainly not all day. I also doubt I’d be able to take it all in.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Thanks
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Hi. Just detail all your symptoms in the form they’ll email you a couple of weeks before your service is due and you will probably be discharged. Happened to me last week. Good luck!
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Hi – I had an invitation to jury service years ago. I can’t sit still either (Akathisia). Means the longer you have to try and sit still the worse you feel. So you have to keep getting up and moving around. Makes it very haRD TO CONCEntrate. I also have blepharospasm - trouble keeping ,my eyes open.
Trying to control your movements when everybody else is sitting perfectly still is really embarrassing & I think distracting for others. I wrote & explained my difficulties and they were perfectly fine about me not doing it.
Shame as I’m sure it would be fascinating to observe the process but it would haVE BEEN EXhausting & my attention to detail rubbish.
Below some info about akathisia… No health professional ever gave me information about it. Parkinson’s UK has zero information about it. Other PD patient sites have a tiny bit about it.
Some people with Parkinson’s experience a condition called akathisia – an inner restlessness and inability to keep still. This is common in Parkinson’s and should not be confused with anxiety.
RLS can also be difficult to diagnose in Parkinson’s as it may come and go and can be confused with other symptoms of the condition such as akathisia (a restlessness which does not worsen in the evening or at night)
Akathisic discomfort is a troubling sensation, not clearly painful, but disturbing, of a strong need to move, keeping the affected patient from ever getting comfortable. It is a form of restlessness similar to restless legs syndrome but present throughout the day.
Drug-Induced Dyskinesia, Part 1: Treatment of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia D.Vijayakumar, J.Jankovic Drugs. 2016 May;76(7):759-77.
Dyskinesias encompass a variety of different hyperkinetic phenomenologies, particularly chorea, dystonia, stereotypies, and akathisia.
Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is one of the main types of drug-induced dyskinesia, occurring in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who have been treated with levodopa for long time, but this side effect may be encountered even within a few weeks or months after initiation of levodopa therapy.
https://rxisk.org/akathisia/
Author: RxISK Medical Team Last updated: 2018
Akathisia is an emotional state caused by over 100 different drugs, primarily antidepressants and antipsychotics, but also antibiotics, anti-hypertensives and others.
It can range from a constant and disturbing mental unease through to an intense emotional turmoil – and mental restlessness. This can be accompanied by physical discomfort, an inability to remain still, or an obvious motor restlessness or fidgetiness.
https://missd.co/256/
The Agony of Akathisia: In their Own Words December 6, 2015
It’s difficult for those of us who have never experienced the powerful sensations of akathisia, a potential but horrific side effect of many psychotropic medications, to truly understand what those afflicted have gone through. The words of people who have experienced it firsthand can give us a glimpse into the utter torture that it is to live with this dreadful disorder, which creates a sense of dread, restlessness and agitation like little else.
Comments:
Jasmine November 16, 2016 at 1:29 am
. I hate when I read akathisia defined as “inner restlessness.” It’s like calling labor a cramp. You’ve done a good job of capturing the torture of this condition.
I too had a jury service letter recently. Like yourself, I struggle to sit still for too long and know that I would not have been able to guarantee attendance every day let alone maintain concentration for the day. Like Starsky, I let the courts know about my symptoms and concerns by filling in the form (online I think). I was sent a discharge letter within a couple of weeks.
All the best,
Gary.
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Good news. Just had confirmation this morning, I’ve been excused. Very easy process, didn’t have to get a letter from my GP, just told them my condition and why I couldn’t do it. I guess the Jury Service don’t want to be bothering GP’s during Covid times.