"Are you on any medications ...?"

In my article "Getting Personal," I introduced some of the delicate questions that we have to ask our candidates (usually on the very first phone call). Weight, salary, marital status, religion and health are all potential deal-breakers when it comes to obtaining employment in the Middle East. Many people are also surprised when we ask if they are on any medications, specifically antidepressants.

I am not talking about vitamins or OTC drugs, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Even medications for diabetes, thyroid, or high blood pressure may not be a problem, with several caveats: a) that your condition is well controlled; b) that you do not have multiple health concerns; c) that you are not on too many different kinds of drugs.

It's no secret that more and more of us are using antidepressants to help us through situations which, in the past would have been considered a normal part of life. Relationships end, we need help to sleep or we want to stop smoking. But also, there are new drugs that are effective in the treatment of many psychological disorders. However, despite their prevalence in the West, hospitals in the Middle East will not offer jobs to individuals who are taking any kind of antidepressant, mood elevator, or anti-psychotic medicine. Also, the Saudi Embassy will not issue employment visas for individuals on these medications.

The hospitals within the Arabian Peninsula have found, from years of experience, that when people with an underlying condition, such as depression, are uprooted from their home and support systems to a totally new environment (new job, friends, country, culture, food, procedures, etc.) some do not easily adapt and may even suffer a setback. Therefore, if someone on psychiatric medications applies for a position in any of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the hospitals require that the person successfully be off the psychiatric medications for at least six months, and have a letter from their family doctor describing why, and how long, they were on the medication, that they no longer require the medication, and that they are fit for overseas employment.

We understand that this information is personal, and why, occasionally, people are not forthcoming on the telephone. This is why, as a part of the initial application process, we ask candidates to complete a health questionnaire, listing their health problems, hospitalizations and medication use. If this information is not disclosed to us early in the recruitment process, the candidate's health/medication issues will be discovered only after they have completed the required medical exams for the visa application. By this time, the candidate will have been offered a position, completed all of the required paperwork (including tracking down old references, transcripts, degrees, etc.), and may have already started making arrangements for their relocation. It is severely disappointing for them, and for us, when we have to tell them that their medical exam results disqualify them for a work visa.