Rationale for Incorporating Moral Injury into the Religious and Spiritual Problems Z-Code-View Presentation

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session, led by John Petit and his fellow presenters, explored the integration of moral injury into the DSM Z-codes for religious or spiritual problems. The main agenda was to define moral injury, distinguish it from PTSD, and discuss its impacts on clinical care. Richard Cowden introduced the topic by tracing moral injury’s historical roots and outlined the varying conceptualizations in the literature. Dr. Francis Liu addressed the historical framework of the DSM and the proposal to include moral injury in the Z-codes, highlighting how these codes help clinicians address complex problems impacting mental health without pathologizing them.<br /><br />Seth Mattson expanded on the impact of moral injury in healthcare settings, using a case study of a nursing professional facing moral distress. The moral injury proposal in the Z-code aims to recognize moral injury’s role in exacerbating mental disorders and improve therapeutic approaches. This recognition is pivotal in cases unresolved by PTSD treatment alone.<br /><br />The presenters emphasized that moral injury encompasses experiences of moral transgression affecting personal and collective beliefs. They also discussed the potential effectiveness of therapies that consider patients' religious or spiritual contexts and mentioned ongoing research needs.<br /><br />During the discussion, participants echoed concerns about the possible conflation of moral injuries with religious issues and the importance of distinguishing between them. They also highlighted the necessity of appropriate responses from institutions involved and the inclusion of identity and cultural factors in addressing moral injury. This session underscored the imperative need for a multidisciplinary approach to treating moral injury within clinical settings.

Keywords

moral injury

DSM Z-codes

PTSD

clinical care

mental health

religious context

spiritual context

therapeutic approaches

multidisciplinary approach

identity factors

cultural factors