Can you serve on jury duty if you're mentally ill?

Question

Depression and OCD are technically "mental ilnesses."

Do you have to disclose your mental illness (depression or ocd) if the court doesn't ask about them?

Answer 1

Well, I think if you are Disabled that it could interfere with your jury duty as you could have a bad day or a bad week and have to miss and they want you there every day and all day. I would tell them that you have bad days and get out of it. Good Luck.

Answer 2

I don't see why not, half of Congress is mentally ill and they are serving.

Answer 3

I'm sure if you get your doctor to write a letter to the court you will be dismissed. I love jury duty, and I don't see why anyone doesn't want to take their turn and serve.

Answer 4

If you feel that your illness will interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial juror or your illness will keep you from being able to participate in a trial then you have an obligation to disclose the information.  Otherwise completely and truthfully answer all questions asked of you during the voir dire and let the judge and lawyers decide.

With the number of people suffering from depression sometime during their lives, the jury pool would not be very big if every depressed person was excused.  

If your OCD symptoms won't interfere with your jury service I don't see why you couldn't serve.  I know for example of someone with OCD that would have difficulty arriving to court on time each day due to her severe symptoms.

Answer 5

depression is not a mental illness, OCD is, but they are capable of thinking and deciding things clearly, however people with dementia (which is a health condition) and schizophrenia are not capable of making coherent decisions. and no, you do not have to disclose those particular things, really, you don't have to disclose anything to the court systems, if the court system is not studied or intelligent enough to figure out if you have these types of conditions then the courts systems don't have the ability to judge cases more logically in a generality.

Answer 6

You can if you conceal the fact that you are mentally ill. But you really shouldn't.

Answer 7

OJ Simpson was found "not-guilty".

Does that answer your question?