Poll any random sample of people, and most will have heard of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ask the same group about moral injury, and the opposite will probably be true. Although many have never heard of the concept, it’s quickly gaining awareness among the clinical, pastoral and military communities who work together to help veterans who are suffering.
“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs only sees people with a PTSD diagnosis, but there was this subset of veterans who weren’t exhibiting the typical fear reactions associated with PTSD,” says the Rev. Rita Brock, co-director of the Soul Repair Center, which conducts research and educates the public about moral injury. “They were presenting feelings of shame and guilt, and the clinicians realized they weren’t treating those things. This was something else entirely.”
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