Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder that comes from experiencing

traumatic events like war. Some of its symptoms include recurring nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional
changes ( PTSD in Military) While PTSD is one well-discussed disorders that comes out of war, there
are two large injuries that are prominent in war, but are not often talked about: Self Inflicted Wounds and
Moral Injury. These are some of the most severe wounds that can come from war. Although PTSD can
inflict a lot of pain on a soldier, self-inflicted wounds and moral injury are just as harmful and stem from
even deeper mental and emotional problems.
Self-inflicted wounds were very common in WWI. The whole experience in the trenches was too
much for many soldiers. Instead of risking death and permanent injury by remaining in the trenches,
many soldiers decided to shoot themselves in order to be discharged and sent home due to their injury
(Simkin). This method of leaving war was still prominent in the Vietnam War, as people often shot
themselves in the feet or hands in attempt to leave the war. This did not work all the time, as foot wounds
were often minor enough for the soldiers to be treated at a hospital before being sent back to war ( The
Soldier and his Wound). In either war, self-inflicted wounds were a serious offense and the soldiers may
have faced major consequences for hurting themselves purposefully (Simkin). Although the soldiers
knew the consequences with self-inflicted wounds, they still hurt themselves regardless, as the war
experience was too much for them. They just wanted to leave the war, and they would do anything it took
to do so.
Moral Injury is not like PTSD, as it is not rooted in fear. Moral Injury comes from events like not
being able to help a fellow who was killed, or having to hurt innocent civilians. It can lead to feelings of
shame, guilt, anger, self-loathing, and even self-harm. While this type of injury can be linked to PTSD, it
is harder to diagnose, as the people who are suffering often dont want to talk about their past
experiences. This type of injury is more common with younger soldiers in their late teens and 20s, as
they have only experienced a black or white type of moral dilemma before entering service such as lying
or stealing (Puniewska). In the cases of WWI and the Vietnam War, the hard decisions that the soldiers

had to make were not always black or white, so moral injury was common during these wars. Moral
Injury lives with soldiers for the rest of their lives (Wood).
PTSD a major disorder that has stemmed from war experiences, and self-inflicted wounds and
moral injury are quite common as well. While PTSD has been greatly researched since the Vietnam War,
self-inflicted wounds and moral injury have not. As both are difficult to treat, research needs to focus on
better methods of treatment, as they can cause the same amount of psychological damage that PTSD
causes.