Depression B4 NS: Tell MO Truthfully? Get Specialist Memo?

last SG · 2011-10-27T18:03:44+00:00

If the guarantors can be your parents, it won't be a problem.What are the penalties on the guarantors for your not flying back every 3 months and for not rep...

MrSotong SG

Dear all,

Please understand that I am NOT planning to Kao Geng or to 'escape from NS' but am writing here to ask for your advice/suggestions because this will affect my future.

I was depressed when I was in Secondary 3. Drank school chemical / slashed myself in class and hurt myself when I was at home etc. This went on for the past 1 year.

I was warded to IMH/NUH, a couple of times, and went to see private psychatrists.

I believe NUH/IMH/phychatrists and even the police have records of my doings.

However, after all these incidents .. I relocated to Canada to continue with my studies and subsequently, I moved to Australia. (Nothing happened, just that the exit permit requires me to fly back every 3 months, Oz is closer.)

I am doing very well now but I'm not confident. I am worried that I might get stressed/depressed and do silly things.

I understand that I have to go for a medical screening in CMPB. And my questions are as follow:

1. Do you guys SUGGEST that I inform the MO about all these?

2. What PES will I be given? (I wear specs / slightly overweight but will trim off my fats once I return back to SG after graduation)

3. Will it AFFECT my future (jobs) ? I am aiming to be a lawyer/foreign service officer with MFA / psychologist (how ironic!) / social worker

I am okay with doing BMT and stuff because it's my responsibility as a Singaporean and it will be beneficial for me , overall. NS is once-in-a-lifetime experience that many people around the world might not get to feel/enjoy it. I do not have the intention to gao keng because I miss home, a mummy's boy.. or whatever (I am already used to 'being away from home' for the past 2 years.)

What do you guys suggest?

Many thanks in advance!

Kind Regards,

alize SG

In fact depression is not a good way to keng. Non-combat vocations are more likely to work without supervision than combat vocations.

It only means you won't have access to weapons AND ammo (either alone is ok), which does not mean you won't be outfield.

MrSotong SG

Hi!

Thanks for your prompt reply.

What does kao geng means? From my understanding, it means don't need to serve NS?

Do you mean that I will most likely be situated in those office-clerk type of work? I don't know, I am actually fine with being a clerk or a NS-ready man that do those 'cheong sua' activities etc.

Those things happened in 2009 and I should be alright now, I guess?

I am finishing school on 31/May/2012. When should I start 'exercising' to prepare for NS? I have the option to go for checkup in Janaury 2012 and go NS the moment I am done with school or else I can wait till I'm done with school and go for checkup and WAIT till enlistment.

Apart from wasting time (will fully utilise the time for exercising/learning new stuff), I might miss out my 'university start date' if I ORD at the 'not right time'.

What do you recommend? Being overseas for a couple of years, I've grown in weight and have NEVER exercise for ages.

Rednano SG

Past references you can read:

http://sgforums.com/topics/search?q=Depression+NS&commit=Go&type=topics

MrSotong SG

Hi !

Yup, did a lot of research on depression & NS before I ask these questions.

Still remember a thread where this guy was married and have got depression .. he just wanted to kao geng but there's no update as to which PES he got into also.

Another thread was by a NSMan GF where she complained about his bf is falling into depression. Not much information from there also. Wanted to request for 8-5 job.

Most of the threads talked about depression when they're in NS .. complaining about depression etc.

Most of them seems to end up in PES E? No one mentioned about having depression/suicidal history before NS and what kind of PES/task they have.

There's this MYTH that depression history will be noted down and it's hard to find jobs in future. Can anyone confirm if it's true?

LRooke SG

Uhh... You don't have to extend your exit permit every three months. Just get a letter from the educational institute you were attending indicating the end date of the couse taken, and the CMPB will issue you an exit permit at least matching that date.

gunner77 SG

want to keng just keng la

bo keng bo chu peng what.

QX179R SG

want to keng just keng la

bo keng bo chu peng what.

Please understand that I am NOT planning to Kao Geng

alize SG

If it's in the past and you are not required to declare, if you aim to go as far as you can go, leave it in the past and don't highlight it. Otherwise command school may be closed to you.

There is no great mental hardship in the army anyway. Physical hardship depending on vocation, but you said you are not afraid of it.

But if you wanna keng, old SAF saying goes: no human body is perfect. Find a physical flaw, get specialist memo = sure keng instead of potential keng.

gunner77 SG

Please understand that I am NOT planning to Kao Geng

thats what they all say.

Rooney9 SG

u will probably be given pes E permanently or you will be exempted from NS

MrSotong SG

thats what they all say.

LOL! I get what you mean, bro.

If I really wanna keng, I would have long gone overseas and don't even bother buying air tickets and flying back to SG every 3 months. Furthermore, I want to work in the government sector (Especially MFA) and imagine if I keng NS.. So yupp, I'm not keng-ing ((:

MrSotong SG

Nope. You'll have to pay a bond of $75 000 or half my parents' income if their annual income is >$75 000 in which my case is the latter and it's very costly!

So the alternative is to fly back every 3 months to SG. It's an unwritten rule.. many thought that they've got to give bonds if they send their sons overseas.

MrSotong SG

If it's in the past and you are not required to declare, if you aim to go as far as you can go, leave it in the past and don't highlight it. Otherwise command school may be closed to you.

There is no great mental hardship in the army anyway. Physical hardship depending on vocation, but you said you are not afraid of it.

But if you wanna keng, old SAF saying goes: no human body is perfect. Find a physical flaw, get specialist memo = sure keng instead of potential keng.

Heard that during medical checkup, they'll ask for your past medical history in which I do not know whether to give etc.. (questions as per posted in first post of thread)

I do not mind hardship because I know I won't die, literally, from that :D

Thanks for your reply anw !

MrSotong SG

u will probably be given pes E permanently or you will be exempted from NS

I don't think it will be that serious till they exempt me from NS , especially when now I'm mentally alright and stable (just that I do not know what will happen if I'm stressed la)

What does PES E do? Will it affect my future (especially when I declare my past medical history to MO in CMPB)?

LRooke SG

Nope. You'll have to pay a bond of $75 000 or half my parents' income if their annual income is >$75 000 in which my case is the latter and it's very costly!

So the alternative is to fly back every 3 months to SG. It's an unwritten rule.. many thought that they've got to give bonds if they send their sons overseas.

False. You can either pay the $75,000 bond, or get two Guarantors, both singapore citizens, to vouch for you via a deed. It's a secret way out of the money bond we discovered when we moved to Canada. CMPB then issues you exit permits that last a year each, up to the time your couse finishes. I know this because I experienced it.

MrSotong SG

LOL!

" get two Guarantors, both singapore citizens, to vouch for you via a deed."

That's interesting. It seems that Mindef have lots of unwritten rules.

3 months exit permit is where I've got to apply for it without paying the bond. My roommates and friends are flying back to SG every 3 months too.

Certainly, if it can done via a deed, it will help save us lots of $$ on the air ticket. But thinking about it, I love the idea of flying. Currently an elite gold in SQ and have flown on business class cabin :D Won't get homesick too <

You'll never know when CMPB will change their rules, again. Well, I'm graduating by next year May and there's no point for me to do the deed now :S

Still, that information is useful and it will certainly help other forumers here.

LRooke SG

LOL!

" get two Guarantors, both singapore citizens, to vouch for you via a deed."

That's interesting. It seems that Mindef have lots of unwritten rules.

3 months exit permit is where I've got to apply for it without paying the bond. My roommates and friends are flying back to SG every 3 months too.

You'll never know when CMPB will change their rules, again. Well, I'm graduating by next year May and there's no point for me to do the deed now :S

Still, that information is useful and it will certainly help other forumers here.

At 15 grand per ticket you might as well just have paid the damn bond. Lucky you, flush with cash.

Lokey SG