Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become a familiar and frequently used concept in recent years. Although PTSD is a major issue faced by our returning troops, it has become somewhat of an umbrella term we often jump to when considering psychological injuries in the military and veteran population. This article discusses the lesser-known forms of trauma affecting returning military personnel and veterans.

PTSD

In the DSM-5, PTSD is conceptualized as, “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation.” This exposure then produces prolonged distressing symptoms in the individual such as nightmares, flashbacks, or hyper-vigilance. The key distinguishing factor is that PTSD is closely related to a fear response tied to the fight or flight instincts.

Moral Injury

Expanding on PTSD, moral injury focuses on trauma to the moral conscience. Two major definitions have emerged:

1) Brett Litz defines moral injury as “perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness…