US studies stress for diplomats at dangerous posts

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) One in six US diplomats who have served in dangerous countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the US State Department said.

An internal State Department survey this summer found two percent of diplomats who have been at unaccompanied posts -- those too dangerous for families -- probably have the condition and another 15 per cent may have it, the department said.

People suffering from the disorder have typically lived through a traumatic event and subsequently may relive the incident, try to avoid stressful situations or feel excessively tense or emotionally numb.

Symptoms of the condition -- which can lead to marital troubles and job instability -- can include insomnia, anxiety, irritability, depression, substance abuse and memory problems.

The State Department survey, conducted from June 1 to July 15, reflected responses from 877 of about 2,600 diplomats who served in dangerous posts in the past five years, said a State Department official who declined to be identified.

Under US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, diplomats are under pressure to go to hardship posts such as Baghdad, Kabul and Islamabad where their families cannot join them.

In Baghdad, many of them live in trailers in the so-called ''green zone,'' the heavily fortified complex that encompasses the US embassy and is subject to periodic mortar attacks.

An official with the American Foreign Service Association, which represents US diplomats, in June told a congressional committee as many as 40 per cent of diplomats returning from posts like Baghdad reported symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.

State Department officials said they did not know where that figure came from and said they have not yet broken down their survey data by country, although they plan to do so.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who confirmed the survey's findings, told reporters the department wants to do all it can to help diplomats cope with tough assignments.

''The bottom line here is we are going to do what we need to do to help our our people. If people need help, if they need counseling, we are going to do that for them,'' McCormack said.

The department gives stress management tips to officials headed to Baghdad, where there are about 200 US diplomats, and, as they leave, provides advice on how to seek counseling and other assistance.

The department has asked for an additional 700,000 dollars for a ''deployment/stress management programme'' that would help people at such posts as well as their families.

The Baghdad embassy's medical staff includes a physician, a psychiatric social worker, two nurse practitioners and a registered nurse, another official said. In addition, a State Department psychiatrist based in Amman also travels to Iraq.

Reuters SBA VP0432