4 In Zimbabwe, some work has been done with vulnerable populations, such as refugees (3-4), and more recently work is progress in an area that suffered during the Liberation War of the 1970's (5-6). However, it is fair to comment that little substantive work has been done on the effects of organised violence in Zimbabwe. This report examines exisiting knowledge about the health consequences of organised violence, comparing the general findings with the data derived from screening and assessing Zimbabwean war veterans. The effects of trauma There were many previous attempts to give expression to the effects of trauma. These earlier descriptions had been classified mainly by reference to the precipitating event, and "concentration camp syndrome", "post-Vietnam syndrome", and "rape trauma syndrome" are all well-known examples of this approach to classification. The recognition that diverse stressors could produce remarkably similar effects was codified in 1980 with the invention of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (7). This was quickly followed by clinical studies and research, and resulted, in 1987, in the amended definition and description given in the revised version of DSM-III (8). There are also plans to further amend this last definition (9). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) provides a description for disorders and symptoms in which the stressor is of a "catastrophic" nature. The term can be applied to a wide variety of catastrophes; from motor traffic accidents to earthquakes, but also includes the large numbers of soldiers who suffer disorders after a war. In modern wars, where it has been estimated that up to 80% of the casualties may be civilian, and mostly women and children, the term must also be applied to the civilian casualties of war. The "catastrophic" nature of trauma is described according to a dimensional concept of stress, in which stress varies, on Axis IV of the DSM, from minimal (minor violation of the law) through to catastrophic (concentration camp experience).