The concept of "Moral Injury" was explicitly brought into the limelight by Prof. Brett Litz in his 2009 seminal paper. Moral dilemmas recur frequently in the consulting room with veterans and others. An example of a moral dilemma is as a veteran witnessing sexual abuse and at the same time having the desire to shoot the perpetrator to end this unpleasant scene. The unpleasantness of such a moral dilemma is that both outcomes contradict one's moral compass. After such a dilemma - with whichever outcome - patients experience a gnawing sense of guilt, and if this guilt is not explicitly addressed, this feeling will continue to trouble the patient for life.

The concept of "Moral Injury" was explicitly brought into the limelight by Prof. Brett Litz in his 2009 seminal paper. Moral dilemmas recur frequently in the consulting room with veterans and others. An example of a moral dilemma is as a veteran witnessing sexual abuse and at the same time having the desire to shoot the perpetrator to end this unpleasant scene. The unpleasantness of such a moral dilemma is that both outcomes contradict one's moral compass. After such a dilemma - with whichever outcome - patients experience a gnawing sense of guilt, and if this guilt is not explicitly addressed, this feeling will continue to trouble the patient for life.

The concept of "Moral Injury" was explicitly brought into the limelight by Prof. Brett Litz in his 2009 seminal paper. Moral dilemmas recur frequently in the consulting room with veterans and others. An example of a moral dilemma is as a veteran witnessing sexual abuse and at the same time having the desire to shoot the perpetrator to end this unpleasant scene. The unpleasantness of such a moral dilemma is that both outcomes contradict one's moral compass. After such a dilemma - with whichever outcome - patients experience a gnawing sense of guilt, and if this guilt is not explicitly addressed, this feeling will continue to trouble the patient for life.