Declaration of Mental Condition at SAF MMI

shade343 SG

rubbish

i noe 2 person who gt pes f DUE to mental problem but e irony is dat they are sane enuff to study in poly/completed poly

They are just mentally unfit for NS. lol....

me_a_clone SG

But that would render me a so-called '2nd-class citizen', wouldn't it? All of you fulfil your NS obligations, and I think I shouldn't try to be special in this case...

No one is /will be a 2nd class citizen. If you dont seek medical advise now, it will ruin your future. You have nothing to lose by declaring. Its free & SAF benefit anyways so why not?

As for your worries on your future job prospect is nothing to worry abt if u cant settle your current issue now.

Not to throw ice water on you but, with current medical advancement, you will definately gain but not lose.

will4 SG

This is out of curiousity. As for those NSF kena diagnozed with psychiatric problem, what the chances of them being called back for reservist after they completed full time NS ?

cookiecookie SG

I think that's really discouraging 'cos I believe it's a problem of not being suited to the environment; I've survived places that somehow allow me to feel at ease and not so uptight about things. My pdoc has personally explained to my previous school admins and my family about my inability to adapt and survive in certain environments, and my ability to flourish in others where people might feel out of place due to how I'm wired. Furthermore I think civil service army-wise is still different from civil service in other government bodies.

I shan't argue with you further and I hope you won't reciprocate either. Do not suggest that I might go 'bonkers' or do a 'virgin tech in camp' --I think it's really offensive and hurtful and it's usually people like you who contribute to the trigger for such events to happen. Please don't pass judgment on me or others like myself before you know the whole story. I would pray for my illnesses to strike you but that would make me more inconsiderate than you are.

cookiecookie, this ends here, please.

I was being kind and giving you good advice. If you cannot take mental stress which is what clerks in army go through, it is a resistance to pressure. Please do not think that the civil service is a piece of cake. So what if it's not military and is civilian? Your problem is you crack when under stress and pressure, not when you see a green uniform.

Oh you threatening to pray for your illness to strike me? Go ahead, I am not afraid, because my God protects me and not only that, He promised me that whoever who curses me will be cursed back the same thing by 7 times. Let's see if your mouth is more evil than my God is faithful.

will4 SG

If you cannot even function as a clerk in NS, and clerks in NS do not have to do combat or handle weapons, i doubt you will have much of a future handling the stress of being in the civil service in a civilian capacity as well, so you don't have to worry about "jeapardising your possible future of employment". I think you should declare and get yourself treated in NUH's psychiatric department or if you prefer private psychiatric clinics, otherwise if you go bonkers, you may go to the store and take weapons and do a virgin tech in camp.

Being clerk in the SAF is not easy cause the paper work is difficuly esp if those in reservist unit, need to handle NS deferment n sometimes need to go home visit on reservist failed to give back SAF 100. PES E clerk is better

cause no need to go for range but not for PES C clerk.

Gordonator SG

please be mindful of the tone of language use. please continue discussion in a peaceful manners.

cookiecookie SG

this is just to let you know, you won't be getting PES F ... that's only for chaps who are about to die ....

it seems to me that you don't want to serve NS, but don't want it to be a stain on your record either, and spoil your chance of a goverment job the next time ? ...

let me put it bluntly for you, since this is the Singapore Armed Forces forum, not Aunt Agony ... if you can't endure and hold onto a sedantary 8-5 job in a office, what happens afterwards, when you go into the uni ? ... or when you come out into society to work ? ...

if your situation is genuine, then the least of your worries should be whether it'll be a stain on your "record" ! .... go farking get help first ! ....

if it's otherwise *- censored-* ........

That is exactly what I thought.

The maiden post of the thread starter was centred on his "desires" and motives to avoid medical detection, to protect his own future. If your case is genuine, you should be seeking help, not trying to dodge detection.

Do you think SAF is the only place that can make you crack? Do you believe that just because it's your only full time military stint, the rest of your life after your ORD will not host any trigger points for your condition? Do you believe that this is entirely caused by SAF? I truly think you do based on your response to me when you said your "condition is controlled and you can function well in some conditions and not others". So you think only SAF lah? You think you're going to have a smooth office life in air con lah and so no trigger? You don't think you may crack from one million other areas from relationships, or work stress or tragedy?

You are trying to dodge detection and you made it so clear, I think that's what make some of us think you have ulterior motives for your own benefit during your NS time. If your condition is real then you need help and not to dodge detection, which is what you're consciously and taking a lot of effort to do.

Mental illness is the same as any other. if you don't treat cancer, it spreads. If you don't treat a minor fever, it becomes worse and very serious and possibly fatal.

I offered you advice to tell you to seek treatment and not try to dodge medical detection because of your untested and naive belief that SAF is your only trigger point. That's what you think aint it? That's why you said your 'condition' is only 'applicable' in certain conditions? Like now lah when you're serving NS?

There are millions of trigger points in life waiting for you. If your condition is genuine you should get it treated. if it's not, you should not chao keng.

cookiecookie SG

And please note that TS took a whole year of JC, which means contrary to his belief, his condition is not peculiar to army. TS, what's stopping you from thinking that besides JC and army, your condition will resurface when you're in a 3rd, 4th, 5th so on kind of environment?

If you cracked in sec school, and then in JC and then in army, I don't know why you believe you do not need treatment and that your condition is just "being not suited to the environment".

cookiecookie SG

cause no need to go for range but not for PES C clerk.

He is a PES E clerk.

cookiecookie SG

It's not that I don't want to serve. I think it's quite obvious that I want to serve --I want to be just like any other medically fit/unfit NSF who serves his 2 years in NS. If I didn't want to serve I would've declared everything at my first medical checkup, made a big hullabaloo about it and all. I did not --and still do not --wish to be 'marked' by the government for my condition, which is why I decided to just conceal it and serve.

But you already told us why you did not make a big hullabaloo. If you are so scared of declaring now that the problem is worsening, it just means it was the fear of a mark that stopped you. If you made a big brouhaha, then obviously it will not only be a mark, but a large mark.

seekingguidance SG

Hi everyone.

Thank you for all your input, kind or unkind. I appreciate the fact that you guys actually take time to read through everything and make comments.

I have gone to SAF MMI and I have seen the head of the PCC. He established that he was not there to diagnose me, that he believes I'm ill, and that he will function as a troubleshooter of my problems --to see how he can help make NS more bearable for me. He sent my superiors emails to explain my condition and also to manpower to list me as a bonus staff. I have been on MC for 4 weeks as of now.

If you believe in medical science, then please continue reading. If you do not, or if you think I am chao-kenging, or have nothing constructive to say, please stop commenting.

I have been told that some middle part of my brain, that is related to regulating feelings, is down. As a result, I cannot process feelings well. The 'green uniform' (to quote one of you) is indeed one of the things that have become a phobia and the sight and thought of it makes me want to throw up. It's due to some connection between the middle brain or limbic system or whatever and the brain stem which controls the body. And that is why I have been put on MC. I'm sorry I can't explain the whole concept well because I'm not a medical student. It does sound like a lot of smoke, I know.

Anyway, the pdoc at MMI has been very nice and helpful and I appreciate the way he is going about trying to solve the problem. I have been further downgraded to PES E9 and have been excused from all night duties. I think I saw the doctor put a check in the box for psychotic illnesses or something for my case. I know that I am ill, but it has been recognised --by me, my own doctor, and the MMI doctor --that certain environments can trigger or worsen it, and one of such environments would be army. I have also decided that it is of no concern if I cannot work in the civil service, because I would not be able to tolerate such an environment anyway, and vice versa.

I do not care if you guys believe me when I say that my problem is an illness, but is particularly bad in regimental institutions. MMI took my long absence from school as evidence of my inability to fit into regimental, uniformed bodies. In fact they were so nice as to offer me the option to be discharged if I feel that I really cannot take the environment. This may sound like bullshit, but MMI has a category of patients who have an 'artistic / creative approach to life' (I paraphrase from medical records and also from a powerpoint presentation by head psych MMI which you can find online; I can give you the link) and on a case by case basis, patients may be suitable for discharge. You might say 'eh grow up lah you think this is your father's army is it' but if MMI has recognised such people as a legitimate group and have stated to me that I just may not fit in the army, perhaps it's time for you to 'wake up your idea'.

Basically, MMI asked me what they could do for me, and when I said I didn't know what they were capable of, they offered me many options, including change of office / change of job but in same camp / change of camp and I am very grateful. Yes, I admit that I was afraid of detection and while some of you have slammed me and said that escaping detection was what I trying to achieve, I would like to say that I have never hidden my intention to not leave a black mark. Perhaps if it happened to you, you would understand my dilemma. Now that I have such assurances from MMI, I feel a lot better --it's like having a safety net.

During the session at MMI I brought up my concerns regarding medical records, prevailing attitudes towards SAF psychiatrists, online forums such as sgForums and other stuff, no holds barred. I also asked if it was possible to wear civilian clothing as that is the practice at some places i.e. parts of CMPB and MINDEF. The doctor's response was that there's supposed to be no such allowance, so he's going to check it out. (I think I might have gotten some people into trouble) It was a brutally honest conversation, and I also asked if it is true that MMI is very strict with the PES F grading and require P cases to be warded for observation prior to the grading decision. The reply was that MMI receives quite a number of cases of people who try to fake their way through, and I guess cases that sprout out during NS are supposedly more doubtful. I enjoyed my conversation at MMI, it really cleared up a lot of misconceptions that we usually have about MMI. It was a relatively pleasant session.

I shall end here. And I quote doctor, '...like a square plug trying to fit into a round hole' (on my being in army)

p.s. I know that I should seek help and not dodge detection if my condition is real, but for genuine p-cases like me, sometimes we can't help but feel that we want to remain as inconspicuous as possible, though we fail. I do not expect you to fully understand as you probably are not a p-case.

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