6 Studies of the prevalence of post traumatic disorders in torture survivors clearly demonstrate high rates of PTSD in torture survivors (16). For example, in a study of Turkish prisoners, it was shown that 85% of the sample had been tortured (17). Of the tortured group, 39% showed PTSD, whilst none of the non-tortured group had the disorder, and, of those who showed physical sequelae of torture, 71% had PTSD. Another study, from Gaza, showed that more than 70% of political prisoners had received more than one form of torture, with 30% showing PTSD (18). Studies of the effects of torture consistently demonstrate that the likelihood of disturbance and ill-health will increase with the presence of physical torture: studies show that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) increases as a function of exposure to physical torture (16-19). These survivors will frequently have both physical and psychological sequelae as a consequence of their torture (16, 20-22). Similar effects are found in groups exposed to war and other related trauma. For example, high rates of psychological disorder have been found in survivors of concentration camp experiences, with the most common symptoms being those of PTSD - startle reactions, emotional numbness, intrusive thoughts and nightmares (23-25). In the studies of survivors of Nazi concentration camps, there was a consistent clustering of symptoms, which included the following: depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, fatigue, recurring nightmares, irritability, ruminations, isolation, and startle reactions. In populations currently experiencing war, there is strong evidence for high rates of psychological disorder. One study from Sri Lanka, for example, showed a prevalence of about 64% in the general population, with a wide variety of disorders seemingly related to war trauma (26). Studies from Africa are rare, but one study from South Africa showed very high rates of PTSD (87%) amongst persons internally displaced by the violence in Natal (27). Some preliminary work in Zimbabwe suggests that there are an appreciable number of torture survivors in Zimbabwe (5-6).