The Foreign Service Journal, September 2010

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 21 have had mental health issues in the past. In 2008, the de- partment eased medical clearances for officers with the human immunodeficiency virus, a condition that had pre- viously disqualified officers from many assignments. Yun says the changes became possible because of advances in HIV treatment that have made more people with the dis- ease able to work in remote locations. He also notes that his office is constantly updating its rules for other condi- tions as the state of medical treatment evolves. MED agreed this year to provide Class 1 clearances for worldwide assignment to some individuals with chronic conditions if they can manage the condition themselves and are willing to pay out of pocket for travel expenses they incur in seeking routine treatment. Yun explains that this broader policy allows those with conditions that require only periodic follow-up evaluations to receive Class 1 med- ical clearances. Mental Health Issues: Concerns Persist Despite many advances in MED’s handling of mental health issues, ranging from addiction to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the conventional wisdom among many in the Foreign Service remains that those suffering from mental illness or addiction should try to hide their ailments from MED, or risk the loss of their medical or security clearances (or both) if they don’t. While understandable, this fear ignores several changes in MED’s handling of these issues and is a significant source of frustration for Yun. It’s a misperception that, in his view, puts the health of Foreign Service employees at risk. “We have many examples of harm coming to the in- dividual because he or she hid their mental health condi- tion from the department and did not seek the care that they needed,” he says. In one such case, an individual whose long history of depression was unknown to MED committed suicide. “This individual would not have lost his security clearance had he been forthright and sought treatment,” Yun says. The employee probably would have had a Class 2 medical clearance, but that would have been in his best interest. F O C U S