Closer Look at Gulf War Illnesses Urged

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon should pay more attention to the psychological impact of the Gulf War experience in analyzing the illnesses of those who served in the 1991 conflict, the Institute of Medicine said Thursday.

In an examination of more than 10,000 veterans of the Persian Gulf War, the Pentagon has turned up instances of back pain, headache, alcoholism, depression and other ailments but has concluded that there is no such thing as a unique "Persian Gulf syndrome."

The experts said the Pentagon should "emphasize in its future reports that psychosocial stressors can produce physical and psychological effects that are as real and potentially devastating as physical, chemical or biological stressors."

The Institute of Medicine is associated with the National Academy of Sciences.