Quora Answer: How Does the Singapore Military Deal with Mentally Ill Persons in National Service?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How does the Singapore military deal with mentally ill persons performing National Service?  Do they exempt them, or do they take anyone who can work?”

There is a pre-enlistment health screening for all recruits, and that includes mental health screening.  Those who have severe mental conditions are exempted from National Service.  Those who have mild depression, mild OCD, or other manageable conditions are enlisted.  They are not sent to combat units, where the stress would exacerbate the situation and make them a danger to themselves, and those around them.  Not every conscript is a frontline soldier. The SAF also has clerks, storemen and support personnel.

These conscripts with mental health conditions are monitored by SAF psychologists.  Should it be deemed that they are unable to serve, they may be excused at any time.  That being said, the screening is adequate considering the number of people who undergo pre-enlistment screening.  However, it does not always detect hidden conditions, or conditions that may manifest in the course of National Service.  This is why officers and NCOs have to be educated to identify men who may have mental conditions.