The history of moral injury

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moral injury
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what is it all about
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[Music]
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what is moral injury moral injury refers
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to the intense psychological distress
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which can follow actions or the lack of
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them which
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strongly clash with someone's moral or
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ethical code
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whilst moral injuries are not mental
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illnesses they can cause
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strong feelings of shame guilt or anger
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[Music]
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the history of moral injury moral injury
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is not new
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it was first written about possibly as
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far back as the ancient greeks since
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that time
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there is continued evidence of its
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impact on military personnel
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up until the end of the vietnam war in
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1975
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and of course in subsequent conflicts as
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well
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moral injury does not just affect the
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armed forces
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whilst the term moral injury is often
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linked to military service
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it can affect many other occupational
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groups including
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media professionals social workers care
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staff
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vets lawyers and aid workers to name but
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a few
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what causes a moral injury moral
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injuries may occur
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in three ways firstly when an individual
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or someone else has done something
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which they should not have done these
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are known as acts of commission
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secondly when an individual or someone
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else should have done something
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but they did not these are known as acts
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of omission
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thirdly when an individual feels
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betrayed by others
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often by a higher authority the spectrum
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of psychological difficulties
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moral injuries occur along a spectrum
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some people don't seem to be affected
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much at all
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others experience short-term distress
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with no substantial lasting
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impact however when the if onlys and
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what-ifs do not go away but become more
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intense
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than a moral injury has developed some
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of which develop into a formal
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mental health disorder what is the
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impact of moral injury
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on mental health research carried out by
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king's college london
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shows that morally injured people are
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vulnerable to developing
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other mental health disorders including
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ptsd
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and depression and experiencing suicidal
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thoughts
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what are the risk factors for moral
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injury certain situations make moral
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injuries
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more likely events involving vulnerable
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people
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such as children or injured colleagues
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people feeling unprepared for the
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emotional consequences
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of their role a lack of social support
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or people who experience traumatic and
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morally challenging situations at the
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same time
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moral injury acts as a barrier to
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recovery
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unfortunately people with moral injuries
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often feel ashamed guilty or angry which
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can make them very reluctant to talk
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about their difficulties with anyone
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including clinicians they may worry what
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others will think of them or even get in
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trouble with the law
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however because they don't speak about
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their experiences
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they can't make sense of them and so
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they don't get better
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treatment for moral injury related ill
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health
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currently there's no clearly defined way
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to treat moral injuries
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clinicians therefore find it difficult
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to provide support
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to those who experience them some
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psychotherapies
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may also make moral injuries worse
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currently the most effective way to
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provide support or treatment
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for moral injuries is to help people
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make sense of what has happened to them
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conclusions to sum up moral injury is
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not new
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it's often linked to the military but
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affects people from all walks of life
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it's not an illness but it can have a
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serious impact on people's lives and
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leads to a range of mental health
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disorders
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if someone has a moral injury they
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should be helped to make sense of their
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experience
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or be encouraged to seek professional
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help
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[Music]
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to get help or to find out more about
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our research on moral injury
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follow these links
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you