Feelings of Guilt May Be Top Factor in PTSD

An anxious Marine waits to take psychological tests at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, CA, 09/29/09. (photo: Jae C. Hong/AP)

Gregg Zoroya, USA Today
Gregg Zoroya reports: "The idea of 'moral injury' as a cause of PTSD is new to psychiatry. The American Psychiatric Association is only now considering new diagnostic criteria for the disorder that would include feelings of shame and guilt, says David Spiegel, a member of the working group rewriting the PTSD section. Traditionally, PTSD symptoms such as nightmares or numbness to the world have been linked to combat violence, fear of being killed or loss of friends."
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