Rainy-day retardism
Rainy-day retardism (RDR) is psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality in regards to current driving conditions. Episodic distortions in perception may affect all five senses, including sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, but most commonly manifest as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction.
Episodes are transient in nature, beginning at the first sight of a storm cloud and ending within several hours after the last cloud passes. Symptoms exhibited during an episode can be either manic or depressive (not both) and include:
Depressive
- Driving less than 60% of the posted speed limit
- Repeatedly hitting your brakes when no one is in front of you
- Waiting 15 seconds after a red light changes to green before applying pressure to the gas pedal
- Erratic swerving or lane changes
- Waiting to turn left when approaching traffic is more than 45 seconds away
- Stopping for 2 minutes at every stop sign
- Otherwise completely forgetting how to drive
Manic
- Driving more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit
- Not stopping at stop signs
- Erratic swerving or lane changes
- Otherwise completely forgetting how to drive
Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood and causes mostly manic symptoms. As the patient ages, the disease often enters spontaneous remission through mid-adulthood, then gets worse again later in life, usually with a more depressive set of characteristics.
The exact rate of affliction throughout the United States is unknown, but it is estimated that several million Americans experience RDR on any given day. Diagnosis is based on the patient’s self-reported experiences and observed behavior. No laboratory test for RDR exists.
RDR is often temporarily contagious and can spread quickly throughout a population of unsuspecting drivers. RDR is an idiopathic disease, and recommended therapy includes staying at home during inclement weather and taking the bus if leaving the house is absolutely necessary.
If you or someone you know is affected by rainy-day retardism, please call 1-800-LRN-2-DRV or visit http://www.learntodrive.com/.
