What do I do if I was denied medical certification due to a mental health condition?

Your psychiatrist is likely unfamiliar with DOT medical regulations.
Different medical examiners on the National Registry are going to interpret this section of the regulations with wide variation.

Most of them are in the "I would rather flunk this guy" mode than give you a medical card and get sued if something happens.
This type of medical condition doesn't present itself in this industry very often. You would need expert industry advice, not this forum on how to proceed.

Getting the CDL is the first step. Getting hired under these circumstances may be a challenge.
Trucking just may not be a good fit. Good luck.

 

Did this depressive episode result in you missing work? If so, that's a big red flag for any of the training companies.

It may seem discriminating, but the industry knows that new drivers struggle out on the road and it's hard to provide effective support. Typically, people with bipolar tend to have issues with radical changes in routines and environments - simply changing diets can alter how a person's meds are working. Odd sleep schedules, constant climate adjustments, and a dozen other factors make having an episode likely, and having someone behind the wheel in a manic phase is scary on every level.

You might have better luck going the dump truck/concrete truck route.

 

Companies will need their insurance carrier to agree and I don't think many would be eager to do so.

 

Find another line of work. That simple
The Medical examiner is doing you a favor !
The psychiatrist is full of doggie drops if he encourage you to enter trucking whilst under his care for your meds. Really bad advice from someone that has no clue about trucking being high stress and dangerous

 

The side effects listed on both those drugs would be a major liability for any carrier. Finding a “decent” carrier that wouldn’t hold it against you is going to be a challenge.

 

Having been involved with a mental patient once in my life, I will never forget what an orderly said to me when we were in the process of getting this person admitted to the mental hospital. "We will get him better and he will be released, but he will be back. They always come back". In other words and it is a sad situation, but mental illness is never "cured". I have to agree with the advice, "find another line of work".

 

It's no consolation, but you're not missing much.

 

I tend to agree.
The glamour that used to be this industry has sort of just gone away....