Korean Job Discussion Forums

ticktocktocktick · Joined: 31 Mar 2009

If said individual were to stop taking it, said person should check with a medical professional how long it would take for it to leave the body. Said individual should then make sure they'll be OK for the period of time without the medication.A waiting period between arrival and the health check (more common for hagwons who don't have the time/organizational skills to sort this all out ASAP) is also a possibility.

Also, if I were that person, I would not let slip my real identity on a message board Smile

Patrick Murtha · Joined: 23 Mar 2010

Reise-ohne-Ende · Joined: 07 Sep 2009

I seriously doubt they'd test for that in your medical screening. I'm on a medicine that has anti-depressant as one of its indications (though that's not what I'm using it for) and nobody said anything to me, if you're looking for personal experience. But can you imagine how expensive it would be to test EVERYONE'S blood/urine for EVERY anti-depressant they could possibly be taking?

Besides, I'm not even sure if such a test exists. I know, for example, that no test exists to find hydrocodone (painkillers) in someone's system - I learned that from a doctor who watched House and complained about it. ^_^

NYC_Gal · Joined: 08 Dec 2009

It's easier to just stop taking it for a few weeks before the test. Usually 3 weeks is good, but check with your doctor. Once you pass, resume. Who knows what they are checking for. They say they aren't checking for pot, but they've been known to.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

I assume that the concept of "visa fraud" (knowingly lying on the visa application and self medical forms) and the potential consequences of said offense are not of concern?

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Reise-ohne-Ende · Joined: 07 Sep 2009

Not particularly, no, ttompatz. I understand if you have a personal moral issue with it, but fudging the truth in Korea is not the same as fudging the truth in the west. On top of that, the potential consequences are: you lose your job, get kicked out of the country, and are forbidden from returning (at the worst, unless you've done something illegal like cocaine or something, where you might get jail time).

Have you ever heard of someone getting punished for visa fraud because they said they had no previous record of mental health issues? I haven't, and I suspect it would only be of concern if you went off the deep end and your employer started looking into your past.

My moral stance is: nobody has any right to ask about past medical history if it does not interfere with somebody's job function. Diagnosed, treated, medicated major depressive disorder is unlikely to interfere with someone's job function - the same as diagnosed, treated, medicated diabetes or arthritis or any other chronic illness. If a question is unfairly discriminatory, I believe you have the right to refuse to answer it or to put the answer they expect from you. YMMV of course, but that's a personal issue in my opinion and a decision one needs to make on one's own.[/b]

Patrick Murtha · Joined: 23 Mar 2010

Patrick Murtha · Joined: 23 Mar 2010

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Reise-ohne-Ende · Joined: 07 Sep 2009

TheUrbanMyth, the consequences differ because cultural norms and expectations differ. Lying and fraud are NOT the same the world over. People from different cultures, subcultures, and families all have different views over what is acceptable or not, or even what is and isn't a lie.

You're welcome to your own morals of course, but to say that it's clear-cut, black-and-white the world over what lying means? That's just not true.