Hi, I’m bipolar bear. It would be awesome to show up and hang out with you guys, so it would be great if you would give me a hand here.
For citizens of the United States, on the visa application it asks:
C.是否患有足以妨害公共衛生或社會安寧之傳染病(如愛滋病)、精神病,或吸毒或其他疾病或吸毒成癮者?
Have you ever been afflicted with a communicable disease of public health significance such as AIDS, a dangerous
physical or mental disorder, or been a drug abuser or addict?
Well, I certainly don’t have a dangerous mental disorder, unless talking your ear off counts. And I’m on lithium now, so even that should be stomped out soon entirely or at least to an extent. I’m aware that I should just lie and say that I don’t have any mental health issues, but here are some things that I do need to know…things that determine if I move to Taiwan or not, in fact.
1. Lithium requires bloodwork multiple times per year in order to prevent lithium toxicity. And, if Taiwan is anything like the United States when it comes to bloodwork, it will take a doctor to prescribe that bloodwork. Can I be seen by a doctor in Taiwan for bipolar disorder, get bloodwork done without leaving the island and still keep my (student) visa intact?
2. Would it be a good idea to bring a couple years worth of lithium at a time and fill up when I go home, or is it okay to just fill up on the island?
Okay, so I essentially asked the same question over at Shanghai Expat, and even though none of the people there that I talked to are bipolar (not that I’m aware of, anyway), I’m now aware that in terms of getting reported, expat clinics are a safer bet than private hospitals, which are a safer bet than public hospitals. I’ll probably be in Taiwan for a year or two before hopping over to the mainland, though, so I really need to figure this Taiwan stuff out. It’s not like I can just call up the embassy/consulate and have them give me tips about this.
How do I figure out if lithium is even legal in Taiwan? What’s a good expat clinic to get in contact with, since this is sort of a niche question and most of you don’t take psych meds/have to have bloodwork done for said psych meds?
Taiwan has a pretty advanced medical system. Check through the search on the forum and get some addresses for hospitals and you can send them questions. Probably by e-mail and I would expect a good degree of doctor-patient confidentiality. I don’t know about lithium. I get Prozac from my diet doctor.
You can get treatment for Bipolar disorder here, including lithium. My ex is bipolar, and Taiwanese, and that’s how I know this. I’m not sure if student status gets you National Health Insurance (someone else may know that), but even without it, medical care and drugs are much cheaper here than in the States.
You may realize that sometimes just a change of scenery will help you feel better for a while, but trust me, and your doctors, and don’t stop taking your meds. Taiwan, on your own, is not a very good place crash.
[quote=“bipolar bear”] C.是否患有足以妨害公共衛生或社會安寧之傳染病(如愛滋病)、精神病,或吸毒或其他疾病或吸毒成癮者?
Have you ever been afflicted with a communicable disease of public health significance such as AIDS, a dangerous
physical or mental disorder, or been a drug abuser or addict?
[/quote]
Say no. For one thing, what you have is not a dangerous mental disorder. For another, what you are getting is not a ‘real’ health check, so IMO it is better to not complicate things. Stating you have a mental illness will complicate things.
Several forum members are being treated for a mental illness, and no one has said that the doctor has reported them to the government. You should be OK going for treatment.
Wanfang Hospital, near the MRT station of the same name, has very good psychiatric services with many of the head-shrinkers speaking excellent English and having had experience treating expats with mental health issues.
Google the name to get the address. Their English web presence is incomplete -for example, it doesn’t list the psychiatric services,which I know are there - but you can just show up and make an appointment. The shrink you get will speak enough English to get the general idea, and if you need someone with better English you could ask them.
Off the top of my head, I’m pretty sure you could get everything you needed right here in Taiwan.
If you need other forms of assistance or information, you should try the Community Services Center. They have some very knowledgeable and experienced people on their staff, and their purpose is to help expats, most of which are English speakers. http://www.communitycenter.org.tw/