Thursday, January 03, 2008

Certifiable


I went to renew my Driver's License last week and I got to the part where it asks you to check the box if you have experienced any of the following conditions... one of them was if you had ever seen a medical professional for 'psychiatric or emotional' problems ... so I checked it.


Well I got a letter in the mail yesterday that says that my Driver's License renewal is dependant on me having my health care professional sign this form saying I am ok to drive....well therin lies the problem... The shrink I saw who initially diagnosed me and then the one after that who correctly re-diagnosed me have both retired and are not in RI anymore... I have NO WAY of getting in touch with them.

So I called the Utah Driver's License Office...waited on hold for 11 minutes and 24 seconds and then explained my situation to the woman on the other side of the line...she told me I could have my current Dr sign the form...I DON'T HAVE a current shrink... "Well, you need to get one and have him sign the form" she says... Ya, it's not that easy sister. If I walk into a Dr's office and say "Can you sign this form saying I am sane enough to drive" he is not going to just SIGN it...he's going to want to have a consultation to determine I'm not crazy (er, I mean sane enough to drive...I know I'm a bit crazy) ... That will cost $$ and take time that I don't have. When am I supposed to see a therapist...an initial consultation takes AT LEAST an hour... and I work 8-5...which coincidentally happens to be the office hours most therapists keep...


Man I am really starting to hate Utah... grrrrr

4 comments:

onedayatatime said...

Well I would say that is the all out pits! Mental illness (I'm not calling you mentally ill!) of any type is so common today that this is so surprising. I would guess then that half of Utah is lying on their applications -- don't they say Utah has the most Prozac use than anywhere else in the entire country!!!

Abby said...

That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. What the crap makes them think you can't drive if you've ever had depression or OCD or anything else that would not kill other drivers? You're not Ted Bundy for Pete's sake.

Ryann said...

It is funny that you had this happen. Well, not really but it reminded me of when I was in the hospital to deliver Emilie. Terry was filling out paperwork and had checked the box that said that I had seen a shrink for depression. Between contractions I reviewed what he had filled out and I promptly erased that one. I didn't want to see if I had to go through some kind of evaluation to take my baby home. So lesson learned for me. Never check that box.

But I hope that you get your required signature soon. Maybe someone in the ward can do it for you???

Abby said...

Yeah, if nothing else, I've heard LDS Srvices in Utah is really cheap.

Ryann, they wanted to know that at the hospital because people with a history of depression are more likely to suffer from PPD (naturally) and they would likely have sent you home with anti-depressants rather than wait until you cracked later at home. As for why the DMV needs to know this stuff is beyond me.