Symptomatic reactions to undercover work

The notion of exceptional psychiatric symptoms in agents engaged in undercover work was investigated in a concurrent cross-sectional study of preoperational, operational, and postoperational undercover agents in a federal law enforcement agency. The incidence of psychiatric disturbance and severity of symptomatology were found to be highest among active undercover agents. Mental disturbances tended to be more pronounced among younger agents with little or no prior undercover experience who were engaged in long-term investigations. The symptomatic profiles of distressed agents were similar in pattern to those of general psychiatric outpatients, and these profiles do not support claims of exceptional disturbances brought on by the unique nature of undercover work. Conventional self-report instruments, however, may not have adequately sampled the unusual reactions described in other accounts of undercover distress.