B737-300
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Human Factors; Procedure
There was a FLG departure and a jet that I was trying to make room for in the MAIER arrivals.  Things were not working out as planned; so I started to vector additional aircraft.  I had a SDL landing aircraft cutting across my arrival stream that I had started down to 19;000 FT.  He was issued; '30 degrees left'; for traffic and the vector did not work as I intended either.  When I vectored Aircraft X off the arrival; I forgot to assign him an altitude to maintain.  Just about then; I had Aircraft Y depart PRC airport; as his Data Block auto acquired; he started flashing with the aircraft surrounding PRC airport.  There were about 5 other aircraft that I was not working.  I told him about the multiple targets in his vicinity but did not suppress the C/A's.  I could hardly see what I was doing due to the amount of flashing; I ended up highlighting aircraft to see what was going on.  At that time Aircraft X asked what altitude to maintain; I assigned 23;000 FT.  He started to flash with Aircraft Z who was out of 22;000 FT.  Aircraft Z was then given an additional left turn for the traffic to go further behind Aircraft X.  At the time the flashing caused by Aircraft Y's departure; took most of my attention and covered up the rest of my traffic; he was flashing with an aircraft that PRC Tower was working.  Maybe something could be done so that I know what the tower has issued as far as traffic goes.
ZAB Controller described a conflict event between two IFR aircraft at altitude when attention was distracted to an IFR departure in apparent conflict with PRC traffic.