Mental health of diplomats

President’s View

Tom Yazdgerdi

I’m glad to see it Ministry of Foreign Affairs Journal This issue focuses on mental health issues among diplomats. For too long, seeking mental health resources has been subject to stigma and fear, such as losing your security clearance or being seen as a weak person who can’t handle the work of a diplomat.

In the past, the response to people who said they needed help was “bear with it.” We need to do more, but thankfully we are moving away from that mindset. It was clearly not the right way to deal with mental health issues in the diplomatic service or anywhere else.

We thank everyone who contributed their opinions and stories to this issue. We were particularly encouraged by Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (and Under Secretary of State for Management) John Bass’ emphasis that “seeking and receiving medical treatment is in fact viewed favorably in the security clearance review process” and that “it is not, and never will be, a reason in and of itself to be denied a security clearance.”

Deputy Chief Bass also shared her own experience of needing to seek help during a difficult time in her life. Seeing leaders in our department speak openly about looking after their own mental health gives other employees the confidence to do the same.

Our profession, while challenging and satisfying, also comes with many unique stressors, including the demands of moving every few years, being on duty essentially 24/7 while representing the American people overseas, living in harsh and dangerous environments, dealing with crises of all kinds, and sometimes being separated from family and friends for long periods of time.

I think most, if not all, of us have experienced periods in our work when things felt out of hand. For me, one such period was when I served as Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) leader and then Consul General in Kirkuk, Iraq, from 2011 to 2012.

The work was incredibly interesting, but living a humble life on a desolate Iraqi air base, exposed to rocket attacks three or four times a week, sometimes made us feel like our team was falling apart. This was especially true in early 2012, when two young American soldiers who lived just 150 meters from us were tragically killed in a rocket attack. They were there to help train the Iraqi army.

While mental health resources were less abundant then than they are now, I’m grateful that a local mental health professional came to Kirkuk regularly to check on us. I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical at first, but these visits were extremely helpful.

This person, who still works for the Medical Services Department (MED), spoke with almost all of us one-on-one and gave us ideas on what we could do to reduce stress for me and my team. It was a relief to be able to talk to a trained professional about the struggles we were all experiencing.

As attitudes towards addressing mental health issues among diplomats have changed, AFSA has fought to hire more mental health professionals and ensure members have more and better access to mental health services. Section 6222 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA) deals with improving mental health services for diplomats and civil servants.

Section 6222 provides that the Secretary of State must seek to hire at least 10 additional staff members to the MED, and the Department of State must prepare a report on the accessibility of mental health care providers in diplomatic postings and in the United States, and measures to improve that accessibility.

This provision is a welcome development and has the force of law, but it requires adequate funding to be fully implemented. As you know, the department’s budget for fiscal year 2024 has been effectively cut by 6%, making increases to these mental health resources uncertain. AFSA will continue to reach out to department leaders to encourage them to prioritize this funding, as it is sorely needed.

Please send your comments to mailto:yazdgerdi@afsa.org or mailto:member@afsa.org.